Last year, when Facebook rebranded itself as Meta Platforms, the idea of a metaverse became widespread, and it's now a part of everyday conversation. What makes the Internet Computer stand apart from the crowd, however, is its decentralized take on the metaverse frontier.
Last year, when Facebook rebranded itself as Meta Platforms, the idea of a metaverse became widespread. Now, it's a part of everyday conversation, including in the world of cryptocurrency. In fact, the ecosystem of developers, applications, and communities that has sprung up around the DFINITY Foundation's Internet Computer has steered conversations about the metaverse in exciting new directions.
Introduction: Enter the Metaverse
If you haven't heard about the metaverse yet, it can be simply summed up as 'virtual reality'. The concept is that people can access different virtual 'worlds' using VR (virtual reality) headsets and other digital devices. It's a relatively novel idea, despite having primitive precedents going all the way back to the 1980s. Already, the metaverse covers a range of activities from shopping and entertainment to learning and esports - and its growth was only accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic!
Big Tech companies are looking to the metaverse as a potential game-changer, on the same scale as the Internet was decades ago.
The Internet Computer's Decentralized Vision for the Metaverse
Decentralization is what makes the Internet Computer's take on the metaverse frontier stand apart from the Big Tech crowd.
Today’s metaverse is primarily being built by centralized companies like Alphabet—which owns the family of Google products—and Meta Platforms. However, the Internet Computer aims to revolutionize the current proprietary metaverse model by providing users with a more open and inclusive experience. The IC is doing this with canister smart contracts that offer vastly improved speeds and substantially reduced processing costs compared to other blockchain networks.
Forbes Ranks DFINITY's ICP as a Top 6 Metaverse Coin
Although Dan Ashmore's opinion on the price outlook for ICP is admittedly less than enthusiastic, his recent article in Forbes nevertheless identified Internet Computer's ICP token as one of the top 6 cryptocurrencies currently powering the nascent metaverse.
6 Top #Metaverse Coins by #Forbes
— Qɾყρƚσ🐺Wσʅϝ∞ (@vrcfan2016sk) November 10, 2022
#2 👉 #ICP #IC #InternetComputer #DFINITYhttps://t.co/sCuveLpIdQ
Dan's article is important, because it shows a growing, albeit sometimes begrudging, acknowledgement of the Internet Computer's growing narrative in the future of the metaverse and responding to users' concerns about Big Tech's power and influence. In fact, ICP is ranked second place among the top 10 metaverse tokens by market capitalization.
🎓 Top 10 Metaverse Tokens by Market Capitalization! 1. ApeCoin (APE) 2. Internet Computer (ICP) 3. Theta Network (THETA) 4. The Sandbox (SAND) 5. Decentraland (MANA) 6. Axie Infinity (AXS) 7. Stacks (STX) 8. Zilliqa (ZIL) 9. Enjin Coin (ENJ) 10. Mask Network (MASK) pic.twitter.com/uZgkWmffEj
— Joe Parys (@JoeParys) December 17, 2022
Metaverse Projects Building on the Internet Computer
There are many metaverse projects that are building on the Internet Computer. Here is an incomplete list of notable projects we're keeping an eye on here at Dfinity Community:
MetaSports Basketball
MetaSports Basketball is a revolutionary concept in esports and play-to-earn games. It leverages the power of Ethereum and Internet Computer blockchains to create an open basketball metaverse where anyone can become a basketball superstar by bringing their NFTs to life. And that's not all - players can own and manage their own teams!
Psychedelic created this game, and it was featured in Yahoo and many reputable publications. Players can make their own characters, as well as import NFTs from other collections to create their MBA team - an impressive feature that's causing a lot of buzz!
UnfoldVR
UnfoldVR is revolutionizing how creators author 3D Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) by offering simple-to-use tools both on the Web and in Virtual Reality, giving them the power to create and monetize their own unique digital assets. This technology has opened up many new possibilities for those looking to express their creativity, build communities, and potentially generate new income streams.
The UnfoldVR project seeks to become an integral part of the Internet Computer metaverse platform. In addition, their team strongly believes that native applications are necessary for more advanced computing environments like virtual reality, since web-based solutions alone may not be sufficient.
UnfoldVR already has the following features implemented:
- Link Web App with Native PC VR app
- Select user Lobby Space
- Configure Lobby Space with 2D and 3D NFTs
- Create real-time-ready 3D worlds/items
- Load user creations
Zraham
Welcome to Zraham, a city built in a post-apocolyptic wasteland. The inhabitants of Zraham still possess pieces of the technology from The Last Age, though it is limited. Several factions compete for territory and struggle with one another to ensure their way of life can remain intact. It is a never-ending war for power and survival.
The 3D maps for this online game are created, stored, and processed using the ICP blockchain. The Unity game engine is used to visualize the game map, while all game mechanics, including player movement, damage, and inventory, are secured through canister smart contracts.
FishVerse
FishVerse is an innovative and groundbreaking AAA, open-world mobile fishing game powered by the powerful Unity engine. It promises ultra-realistic and exceptional gameplay, which can be enjoyed by millions of passionate p2e and fishing fans. Experience a vibrant community while almost feeling like you're really out on the lake!
Check out their jaw-dropping game teaser!
Plethora
Plethora strives to provide customers with an abundance of experiences so that they feel completely fulfilled. Their mission is to help NFT projects launch their collections with custom-tailored immersive experiences. Join them now, and get ready for a thrilling journey full of competition, fun, and rewards!
The Dfinity Foundation has awarded Plethora with their largest grant offering option ($100,000 USD) to bring together all NFT enthusiasts and communities.
ICP Squad NFT (dSquad)
Introducing dSquad, the world's first Engage 2 Earn NFT!
The recently rebranded dSquad (formerly ICP Squad) is an amazing community that rewards users of different dapps within the dazzling Internet Computer ecosystem. This is a great way to show appreciation and recognition for users' participation in the DFINITY Foundation's initiative to reinvent the Internet with Web speed blockchain technology.
With the Internet Computer blockchain, users have an exciting opportunity to create their own personal avatars with customized accessories and more! Not only that, but they can also store and mint assets securely. It's a great way to bring your avatar ideas to life! By using different dapps across the ICP ecosystem such as Distrikt and DSCVR, users are issued NFT rewards.
Conclusion: The Internet Computer is Well-Positioned to Lead the Metaverse
The Internet Computer has the potential to take the metaverse by storm due to its ability to provide a decentralized and scalable platform for the development and deployment of next-generation internet applications. The IC also offers fast and secure transactions and low latency, which are crucial to making blockchain integration with the metaverse viable. Perhaps best of all though, the decentralized nature of the Internet Computer ensures that the metaverse is open and accessible to everyone, rather than being controlled by Big Tech.
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