How to understand the Metaverse and Web3 through Minecraft

What is the Metaverse?

Metaverse is a term coined by Neal Stephenson in the 1992 science fiction novel Snow Crash to describe a future online world based on virtual reality. Some have even claimed that Stephenson's novel is a prophecy of the future.

Before you wonder if the author can really time travel to predict the future, let's first understand what the metaverse is through some easier-to-understand lenses-"Minecraft".

Unlike the internet or even virtual reality as we know it today, the Metaverse will be a fully immersive 3D environment where people can interact with other people and digital objects as if they were real.

The metaverse doesn't fully exist yet. However, some platforms have created Metaverse-like experiences. For example, video games have expanded the boundaries of play through virtual economies and in-game activities.

Simply put, the Metaverse is the concept of an online 3D universe that cobbles together various virtual spaces. Like future iterations of the web, the Metaverse is bearing fruit little by little. The goal is to enable users to socialize, play and even work in these 3D spaces.

Arguably, as technology develops, the emergence of something like the Metaverse is inevitable—it's a natural evolution of things going their own way.

What is Web3?

Web3 is the third generation of the World Wide Web, referring to the decentralized network. The first iteration, or Web1, focused on static content, while Web2 introduced dynamic content and social media features.

Now, with the advent of Web3, the focus has shifted to a more decentralized web where users are in control of their own data. Originally dubbed the "Semantic Web" by World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee, Web3 aims to enable websites and applications to process information more autonomously and intelligently.

Data can be processed in smarter, more human-like ways through technologies such as big data, machine learning, and decentralized ledger technology (DLT).

How does Minecraft help us understand the Metaverse?

Minecraft is a game that allows players to build and explore in a 3D world. It was also one of the first games to offer a virtual economy where players could trade in-game items. Therefore, Minecraft can be used to understand the concept of the metaverse.

By knowing how to use Minecraft, one can better understand the Metaverse and Web3. Additionally, they can learn about the potential of these concepts and how they can be used in the real world.

What makes Minecraft a great metaverse platform?

There are a few key factors that make Minecraft a decent Metaverse platform. Minecraft is highly adaptable, allowing players to create their own content and share it with others. This makes it easier for us to create new experiences and worlds in the game.

Minecraft also has a large and active community, creating a sense of belonging and allowing players to connect with one another. Best of all, Minecraft is constantly evolving, with new features and updates being released regularly.

As far as the metaverse is concerned, Minecraft has succeeded in many areas. We summarize as follows:

The Minecraft Metaverse Is Decentralized — No One Owns It

There’s a reason why Mark Zuckerberg’s vision of building a Metaverse through Facebook was ridiculed by many in the crypto community.

Facebook's move offers a glimpse into a metaverse that is largely owned by tech titans like Zuckerberg. This is a remake of Monopoly, which violates the principle of decentralization, which is the essence of the Metaverse.

Minecraft, on the other hand, is a great example of a decentralized metaverse. While Microsoft owns the game, it's still an open platform that anyone can access and play. No one company controls the game or dictates what players can do.

Minecraft works well because each metaverse has its own rules of engagement. Facebook's intent was to create a unified version of the Metaverse, whereas in Minecraft, anyone can create a Metaverse. This decentralization is key to the success of the Metaverse, as it allows for a more democratic and open environment where anyone can contribute.

It's immersive even with low-fi

Although many people are arguing that the metaverse is a high-tech version of the online world, Minecraft can still give us a glimpse of what the metaverse is really like.

Minecraft is especially immersive when it uses low-fidelity technology—no need for virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), or holograms. The hype surrounding the upcoming metaverse holds that the digital world can only be truly immersive if we strap VR headsets to our heads. Maybe nanofans will blow into our ears so we can actually feel the breeze as we walk through digital gardens.

However, Minecraft proves that the Metaverse can be immersive even when accessed through a plain old computer screen—no VR glasses required. If you haven't tried it, Minecraft can even run on very old devices.

Minecraft has a unique goal

People play Minecraft for different reasons. Some people want to create, some people want to explore, some people just want to socialize. In a way, Minecraft has become a platform for people to do all of these things.

This game has unique objectives that set it apart from other games on the market. This is one of the main reasons why Minecraft has been so successful. It's a game that can be anything you want it to be, and it's perfect for anyone looking to explore the potential of the metaverse.

For example, Minecraft Education allows students to experience and imagine worlds and cultures other than their own. For example, Piki Studios partnered with Microsoft to help students in New Zealand learn about Te Ao Māori culture through Minecraft.

How do people interact in the Minecraft metaverse?

Players can interact in a variety of ways through chat, private messages, and forums. In addition, players can also join the server to play together. Servers are dedicated game worlds that players can connect to.

The most common way to interact in the Metaverse is to contribute to the server you are on. If you're thinking of building a large world on a server, you need to build every day before the deadline.

If you're part of a sim server like Second Life, you're going to have to play your character, whether it's a fighter, a miner, or a fighter. If you're on a story-driven server with factions, you have to play the character and make the experience as realistic as possible for all players.

Famous Metaverse project based on Minecraft

More than a dozen projects are based on the 2011 video game, with Minecraft non-fungible torrents (NFTs) selling for tens of thousands of dollars each.

For example, NFT Worlds is a collection of 10,000 unique Minecraft NFTs. Each NFT has a "world seed", which is the code that can generate "Minecraft". Metaverse destinations can also be hosted on players' own servers with the help of verified builders.

Uplift World is another Minecraft metaverse, a play-and-earn metaverse built on the WAX Blockchain. It also uses NFTs and has a tokenized shipping rail system.

On the other hand, Enjin is also one of the early publishers of the EnjinCraft plugin and Java SDK for the Minecraft Metaverse. This allows some people to build a Minecraft metaverse on the blockchain using Enjin and Ethereum, and as more and more developers build new projects on top of Minecraft, we can see the metaverse future development.