Metaverse: Difference between revisions

Content deleted Content added

Inline

Latest revision as of 07:24, 24 November 2024

The metaverse is a loosely defined term referring to virtual worlds in which users represented by avatars interact,^[1] usually in 3D and focused on social and economic connection.^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]

The term metaverse originated in the 1992 science fiction novel Snow Crash as a portmanteau of "meta" and "universe".^[6]^[7] In Snow Crash, the metaverse is envisioned as a version of the Internet that is a single, universal, and immersive virtual world, facilitated by the use of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) headsets.^[8]^[2]

The term "metaverse" is often linked to virtual reality technology,^[9]^[10] and beginning in the early 2020s, with Web3.^[11]^[12] The term has been used as a buzzword by companies^[8]^[13] to exaggerate the development progress of various related technologies and projects for public relations purposes.^[14] Information privacy, user addiction, and user safety are concerns within the metaverse, stemming from challenges facing the social media and video game industries as a whole.^[8]^[15]^[16]

History and implementations

Components of metaverse technology have already been developed within online video games.^[17] The 2003 virtual world platform Second Life is often described as the first metaverse,^[18]^[19] as it incorporated many aspects of social media into a persistent three-dimensional world with the user represented as an avatar, but historical claims of metaverse development started soon after the term was coined. Early projects included Active Worlds^[20] and The Palace.

Popular games described as part of the metaverse include Habbo Hotel,^[9] World of Warcraft,^[21] Minecraft,^[9] Fortnite,^[22] VRChat,^[23]^[24] and game creation platform Roblox^[25]^[26]^[27]^[28] In a January 2022 interview with Wired, Second Life creator Philip Rosedale described metaverses as a three-dimensional Internet that is populated with live people.^[29] Social interaction and 3D virtual worlds are often an integral feature in many massively multiplayer online games.

In 2017, Microsoft acquired the VR company AltspaceVR,^[30] and implemented virtual avatars and meetings held in virtual reality into Microsoft Teams.^[31] Microsoft shut-down AltspaceVR in March 2023.^[32]

In 2019, the social network company Facebook launched a social VR world called Facebook Horizon.^[33] In 2021, the company was renamed "Meta Platforms" and its chairman Mark Zuckerberg^[34] declared a company commitment to developing a metaverse.^[35] Many of the virtual reality technologies advertised by Meta Platforms remain to be developed.^[36]^[37]^[38] Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen criticised the move, adding that Meta Platforms' continued focus on growth-oriented projects is largely done to the detriment of ensuring safety on their platforms.^[39] Meta Platforms has also faced user safety criticism regarding Horizon Worlds due to sexual harassment occurring on the platform.^[40]^[41]^[42] In 2021, Meta made a loss of over $10 billion on its metaverse development department, with Mark Zuckerberg saying he expected operating losses to "increase meaningfully" in 2022.^[43] In February 2023, Zuckerberg wrote a Facebook post announcing the company's pivot away from the metaverse to focus on AI.^[44]

Some metaverse implementations rely on digital currencies, and often cryptocurrency. Assets within the metaverse are sometimes traded as non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and track ownership using blockchain technology.^[45]

Proposed applications for metaverse technology include improving work productivity,^[31]^[46] interactive learning environments,^[15] e-commerce,^[15]^[47] mass-audience interaction,^[48] healthcare^[49]^[50] and real estate.^[15]

Technology

Hardware

Access points for the metaverse includes general-purpose computers and smartphones, augmented reality, mixed reality, and virtual reality.^[3]

Dependence on VR technology has limited metaverse development and wide-scale adoption.^[10] Limitations of portable hardware and the need to balance cost and design have caused a lack of high-quality graphics and mobility.^[51] Lightweight wireless headsets have struggled to achieve retina display pixel density needed for visual immersion.^[51] Another issue for wide-scale adoption of the technology is cost, with consumer VR headsets ranging in price from $300 to $3500 as of 2022.^[9]^[4]

Current hardware development is focused on overcoming limitations of VR headsets, glasses, sensors, and increasing immersion with haptic technology.^[52]

Software

There has been no wide-scale adoption of a standardized technical specification for metaverse implementations, and existing implementations rely primarily on proprietary technology. Interoperability is a major concern in metaverse development, stemming from concerns about transparency and privacy.^[53] There have been several virtual environment standardization projects.^[54]^[55]^[56]^[57]^[58]

Universal Scene Description is a specification for 3D computer graphics interchange created by Pixar and supported by Blender, Apple's SceneKit and Autodesk 3ds Max. The technology company NVIDIA announced in 2021 they would adopt USD for their metaverse development tools.^[59]

glTF is a specification for the efficient transmission and loading of 3D scenes and models by engines and applications created by the Khronos Group, an industry consortium developing royalty free open standards. In August 2022 it was announced that glTF 2.0 had been released as the ISO/IEC 12113:2022 International Standard.^[60]

OpenXR is an open standard for access to virtual and augmented reality devices and experiences. It has been adopted by Microsoft for HoloLens 2,^[61] Meta Platforms for the Oculus Quest,^[62] HTC for the HTC Vive,^[63] Qualcomm for the Snapdragon Spaces XR Developer Platform,^[64] and Valve for SteamVR.^[65]^[66]

Criticism and concerns

Feasibility

In a February 2022 article for The New York Times, Lauren Jackson argued that the metaverse is "stalled from achieving scale by a lack of infrastructure for both hardware and software, a monopolistic approach to platform development, and a lack of clear governance standards."^[67]

In December 2021, Raja Koduri, senior vice president of Intel, claimed that "Truly persistent and immersive computing, at scale and accessible by billions of humans in real time, will require even more: a 1,000-times increase in computational efficiency from today's state of the art."^[68]

In an article for The New York Times on October 26, 2022, Ryan Mac, a technology reporter, claimed that for the past year, Mark Zuckerberg has struggled to find the best way to achieve the metaverse. He has yet to succeed.^[69]

Privacy

Information privacy is an area of concern for the metaverse because related companies will likely collect users' personal information through interactions and biometric data from wearable virtual and augmented reality devices.^[70] Meta Platforms (previously Facebook) is planning on employing targeted advertising within their metaverse, raising further worries related to the spread of misinformation and loss of personal privacy.^[8] In 2021, David Reid of Liverpool Hope University argued the amount of data collection in the metaverse would be greater than that on the internet stating "If you think about the amount of data a company could collect on the World Wide Web right now, compared to what it could collect with the metaverse, there is just no comparison."^[71] In fact, the current metaverse technology is very immature. Abdulsattar Jaber, a professor at Iraq's Middle Technical University, found that the new technology used by the metaverse may cause many problems related to the security and privacy of system users.^[72]

User safety

User addiction and problematic social media use is another concern. Internet addiction disorder, social media, and video game addiction can have mental and physical repercussions over a prolonged period of time, such as depression,^[73] anxiety, and various other harms related to having a sedentary lifestyle such as an increased risk for obesity and cardiovascular disease.^[16] Experts are also concerned that the metaverse could be used as an 'escape' from reality in a similar fashion to existing internet technologies.^[70]^[74]

Virtual crimes like sex abuse, child grooming, and harassment are significant challenges within existing virtual reality social platforms, and may be similarly prevalent in the metaverse.^[75]^[76]^[77]^[78] In February 2022, investigations by BBC News and The Washington Post found minors engaging in adult activities in applications such as VRChat and Horizon Worlds despite an age requirement of 13 years or older.^[23]

In an October 2022 interview, Roblox Chief Scientist Morgan McGuire stated that it is "a challenge to moderate 3D", and also compared moderating Roblox to shutting down speakeasies.^[79]

Regulation

With the emergence of the metaverse, many^[67] are calling for new regulations to protect users when they interact in the virtual world and to ensure that intellectual property (IP) laws are extended to both physical and virtual objects, respecting the rights of inventors, designers, and owners of trademarks, just as they would in the real world.^[80]

Social issues

Metaverse development may magnify the social impacts of online echo chambers and digitally alienating spaces^[2]^[81] or abuse common social media engagement strategies to manipulate users with biased content.^[81]^[82] Keza MacDonald of The Guardian criticized the utopianism of technology companies who claim that a metaverse could be a reprieve from worker exploitation, prejudice, and discrimination. MacDonald stated that they would be more positive towards metaverse development if it was not dominated by "companies and disaster capitalists trying to figure out a way to make more money as the real world's resources are dwindling."^[83] Marketing professor Andreas Kaplan, citing their experience studying Second Life users, argues that the metaverse may have a generally negative societal impact due to their strongly addictive potential.^[84] People with physical disabilities like deafness or blindness are disadvantaged without technologies addressed to accessibility.^[85]

Lack of adoption

As of 2023^[update], there has been little adoption of Metaverse technology, with Decentraland, a platform claiming to be the metaverse, reporting that it had 8,000 daily users or fewer.^[86] Ed Zitron of Business Insider and Marc Olinga of The Street declared the Metaverse a fad that was "dead", having been displaced by artificial intelligence as the current hot new trend in computing.^[87]^[88]

Fiction

Snow Crash, 1992

So Hiro's not actually here at all. He's in a computer-generated universe that his computer is drawing onto his goggles and pumping into his earphones. In the lingo, this imaginary place is known as the Metaverse. Hiro spends a lot of time in the Metaverse. It beats the shit out of the U-Stor-It.

Neal Stephenson, Snow Crash (1992).^[89]

The term metaverse was coined by Neal Stephenson in his 1992 science fiction novel Snow Crash, where humans, represented by computer-generated avatars, interact with each other and software agents, in a three-dimensional virtual space that uses the metaphor of the real world.^[90] Stephenson used the term to describe a virtual-reality-based successor to the internet.^[91]

Neal Stephenson's metaverse appears to its users as an urban environment developed along a 100-meter-wide road, called the Street, which spans the entire 65,536 km (2¹⁶ km) circumference of a featureless, black, perfectly spherical planet. The virtual real estate is owned by the Global Multimedia Protocol Group, a fictional part of the real Association for Computing Machinery, and is available to be bought and buildings developed thereupon.^[92]

Users of the metaverse access it through personal terminals that project a high-quality virtual reality display onto goggles worn by the user, or from grainy black and white public terminals in booths. The users experience it from a first-person perspective. Stephenson describes a sub-culture of people choosing to remain continuously connected to the metaverse; they are given the sobriquet "gargoyles" due to their grotesque appearance.^[92]

Within the metaverse, individual users appear as avatars of any form, with the sole restriction of height, "to prevent people from walking around a mile high". Transport within the metaverse is limited to analogs of reality by foot or vehicle, such as the monorail that runs the entire length of the Street, stopping at 256 Express Ports, located evenly at 256 km intervals, and Local Ports, one kilometer apart.^[92]

Ready Player One, 2011

Ready Player One is a dystopian science fiction franchise created by Ernest Cline which depicts a shared VR landscape called "The OASIS". The first novel was released in 2011, with a 2018 film adaptation, and second novel in 2020. The franchise depicts the year 2045 as being gripped by an energy crisis and global warming, causing widespread social problems and economic stagnation. The primary escape for people is a shared VR landscape called "the OASIS" which is accessed with a VR headset and wired gloves.^[93] The OASIS functions both as a massively multiplayer online role-playing game and as a virtual society.^[94]

References

^ RITTERBUSCH, GEORG DAVID; TEICHMANN, AND MALTE ROLF (February 9, 2023). "Defining the Metaverse: A Systematic Literature Review". IEEE Access. 11: 12368–12377. Bibcode:2023IEEEA..1112368R. doi:10.1109/ACCESS.2023.3241809.
^ ^a ^b ^c Newton, Casey (July 22, 2021). "Mark Zuckerberg is betting Facebook's future on the metaverse". The Verge. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
^ ^a ^b Ritterbusch, Georg David; Teichmann, Malte Rolf (2023). "Defining the Metaverse: A Systematic Literature Review". IEEE Access. 11: 12368–12377. Bibcode:2023IEEEA..1112368R. doi:10.1109/ACCESS.2023.3241809. ISSN 2169-3536. S2CID 256562095.
^ ^a ^b Robertson, Adi (October 4, 2021). "What is the metaverse, and do I have to care?". The Verge. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
^ Clark, Peter Allen (November 15, 2021). "What Is the Metaverse and Why Should I Care?". Time. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
^ Zenou, Theo (June 30, 2022). "A novel predicted the metaverse (and hyperinflation) 30 years ago". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
^ Ball, Matthew (July 19, 2022). The Metaverse: And How it Will Revolutionize Everything. Liveright Publishing. ISBN 978-1-324-09204-9.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d O'Brian, Matt; Chan, Kelvin (October 28, 2021). "EXPLAINER: What is the metaverse and how will it work?". ABC News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on December 4, 2021. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Brown, Dalvin (August 30, 2021). "What is the 'metaverse'? Facebook says it's the future of the Internet". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
^ ^a ^b Antin, Doug (May 5, 2020). "The Technology of the Metaverse, It's Not Just VR". The Startup. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
^ Fannin, Rebecca (April 14, 2022). "Hong Kong's 'Mr. Metaverse' on why he's placing a big Web3 bet against Mark Zuckerberg". CNBC. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
^ "The Metaverse Requires a Whole New Vocabulary to Navigate Web3". Bloomberg.com. April 8, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
^ Fischer, Sarah (November 16, 2021). ""Metaverse" is Wall Street's new favorite buzzword". Axios. Archived from the original on December 4, 2021. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
^ Ravenscraft, Eric (December 26, 2021). "The Metaverse Land Rush Is an Illusion". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Needleman, Sarah E. (October 16, 2021). "The Amazing Things You'll Do in the 'Metaverse' and What It Will Take to Get There". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
^ ^a ^b Rajan, Amala; Nassiri, Nasser; Akre, Vishwesh; Ravikumar, Rejitha; Nabeel, Amal; Buti, Maryam; Salah, Fatima (November 1, 2018). "Virtual Reality Gaming Addiction". 2018 Fifth HCT Information Technology Trends (ITT). pp. 358–363. doi:10.1109/CTIT.2018.8649547. ISBN 978-1-5386-7147-4. S2CID 67876446. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
^ Orland, Kyle (November 7, 2021). "So what is 'the metaverse', exactly?". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on November 9, 2021. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
^ Tidy, Joe (November 5, 2021). "Zuckerberg's metaverse: Lessons from Second Life". BBC News. Archived from the original on November 13, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
^ Maney, Kevin (February 4, 2007). "The king of alter egos is surprisingly humble guy". USA Today. Archived from the original on February 18, 2007. Retrieved February 20, 2007.
^ "Active Worlds for Windows (1995)". MobyGames. Archived from the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
^ Woods, Bob (May 7, 2022). "In Microsoft's Activision deal, it's not just stock prices but a future world at stake". CNBC. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
^ Webster, Andrew (March 18, 2021). "Fortnite's Experimental Story Is An Attempt To Create 'The Entertainment Experience Of The Future'". The Verge. Archived from the original on May 3, 2021. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
^ ^a ^b Crawford, Angus; Smith, Tony (February 23, 2022). "Metaverse app allows kids into virtual strip clubs". BBC News. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
^ Smith, Quinton (May 17, 2022). Making Sense of VRChat, the 'Metaverse' People Actually Like (Video). Design and art direction by Anni Sayers. People Make Games. Retrieved June 24, 2022 – via YouTube.
^ Wakefield, Jane (March 10, 2021). "Roblox: How the children's game became a $30bn bet on the Metaverse". BBC News. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
^ Sidhwani, Priyansh (March 12, 2021). "The History Of Roblox : From 2004 Until Now". TechStory. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
^ "Nike gets ahead of the Metaverse and creates 'Nikeland', its own virtual world on Roblox". entrepreneur.com. Archived from the original on November 26, 2021. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
^ Kastrenakes, Jacob (November 19, 2020). "Roblox goes public so that it can build a bigger metaverse". The Verge. Archived from the original on December 1, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
^ Edelman, Gilad (January 27, 2022). "How to Build a Better Metaverse". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
^ Langston, Jennifer (March 2, 2021). "'You can actually feel like you're in the same place': Microsoft Mesh powers shared experiences in mixed reality". Innovation Stories. Archived from the original on November 3, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
^ ^a ^b Warren, Tom (November 2, 2021). "Microsoft Teams enters the metaverse race with 3D avatars and immersive meetings". The Verge. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
^ AltspaceVR, Team (January 20, 2023). "AltspaceVR to Sunset the Platform on March 10, 2023". AltspaceVR. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
^ Constine, Josh (September 25, 2019). "Facebook announces Horizon, a VR massive-multiplayer world". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
^ Roose, Kevin (October 29, 2021). "The Metaverse Is Mark Zuckerberg's Escape Hatch". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 30, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2021. (subscription required)
^ Milmo, Dan (October 28, 2021). "Enter the metaverse: the digital future Mark Zuckerberg is steering us toward". The Guardian. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
^ Griffin, Andrew (October 28, 2021). "Facebook changes name to 'Meta' as it focuses on metaverse and tries to move on from controversies". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
^ Thomas, Daniel (October 28, 2021). "Facebook changes its name to Meta in major rebrand". BBC News. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
^ Paul, Kari (October 28, 2021). "Facebook announces name change to Meta in rebranding effort". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on October 28, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
^ Hamilton, Isobel Asher (October 26, 2021). "Whistleblower Frances Haugen says Facebook's investment in the 'metaverse' shows how its priorities are all wrong". Business Insider. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
^ Jones, Stephen (December 17, 2021). "Meta launched an investigation after a woman said she was groped by a stranger in the metaverse". Business Insider. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
^ Mahdawi, Arwa (December 18, 2021). "Metaverse is just a new venue for the age-old problem of sexual harassment". The Guardian. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
^ Sundaravelu, Anugraha (May 31, 2022). "Woman's avatar raped within an hour of signing into the metaverse". Metro. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
^ Kovach, Steve (February 2, 2022). "Mark Zuckerberg's 'metaverse' business lost more than $10 billion last year, and the losses keep growing". CNBC. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
^ "Meta's "year of efficiency" means job cuts, less metaverse, and more generative AI". Quartz. March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
^ Page, Thomas (September 23, 2022). "Pixel pushers: How the metaverse became real estate's new frontier". CNN. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
^ Combs, Veronica (October 29, 2021). "The metaverse: What is it?". TechRepublic. Archived from the original on October 31, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
^ "Despite metaverse buzz, 60% of consumers have zero interest in virtual shopping". VentureBeat. May 30, 2022. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
^ Takahashi, Dean (November 3, 2022). "Why Improbable's Herman Narula believes virtual society will foster transhumanism". VentureBeat. Retrieved November 8, 2022. The sleeping giants of the metaverse are massive communities – celebrities are a great example – who don't monetize those communities very well. They can't engage with them very easily. They want a new way of doing that. That is who the metaverse is going to unlock value for.
^ Curtis, Caitlin; Brolan, Claire (November 27, 2022). "Health care in the metaverse". Medical Journal of Australia. 218 (1): 46. doi:10.5694/mja2.51793. PMC 10952226. PMID 36437589. S2CID 254042167.
^ Wang; Badal; Jia; Maltz; Mueller; Myers; Niu; Vannier; Yan; Yu; Zeng (November 25, 2022). "Development of metaverse for intelligent healthcare". Nature Machine Intelligence. 4 (11): 922–929. doi:10.1038/s42256-022-00549-6. PMC 10015955. PMID 36935774. S2CID 253564988.
^ ^a ^b Wood, Rhys (October 14, 2021). "This Oculus VR headset could feature lifelike resolution – here's why that matters". TechRadar. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
^ Lewis, Leo; Davies, Christian; Jung-a, Song (January 5, 2022). "Investors gear up for 'gold rush' in metaverse hardware". Financial Times. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
^ D'Anastasio, Cecilia (November 4, 2021). "The Metaverse Is Simply Big Tech, but Bigger". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
^ "The Metaverse Roadmap". Acceleration Studies Foundation. Archived from the original on May 17, 2014. Retrieved October 8, 2011.
^ "X3D Specification, ISO/IEC 19775-1:2004 -- Part 1: Architecture and base components". www.web3d.org. Archived from the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
^ "Virtual World Region Agent Protocol (VWRAP)". IETF. Archived from the original on August 11, 2011. Retrieved October 8, 2011.
^ "Immersive Education Technology Group (IETG)". Media Grid. Archived from the original on September 8, 2011. Retrieved October 8, 2011.
^ "Immersive Web Working Group". www.w3.org. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
^ Caulfield, Brian (April 27, 2021). "Universal Scene Description Key to Shared Metaverse, GTC Panelists Say". The Official NVIDIA Blog. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
^ "ISO/IEC 12113:2022 Information technology — Runtime 3D asset delivery format — Khronos glTF 2.0". The Official ISO Website. July 26, 2022.
^ Edicott, Sean (July 23, 2019). "OpenXR now available on the Microsoft Store for Windows Mixed Reality". Windows Central. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
^ Heaney, David (September 13, 2019). "Oculus Rift Has Hidden Preliminary Support For OpenXR". UploadVR. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
^ Heaney, David (April 14, 2022). "HTC's Vive Focus 3 Standalone Headset Gets Beta OpenXR Support". UploadVR.
^ Sprigg, Sam (June 1, 2021). "Qualcomm announces global availability of its Snapdragon Spaces XR Developer Platform". Auganix.
^ "Conformant Products". Khronos Group. August 18, 2022.
^ "Steam :: SteamVR :: Introducing SteamVR 1.16". store.steampowered.com. February 24, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
^ ^a ^b Jackson, Lauren (February 12, 2022). "Is the Metaverse Just Marketing?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
^ Koduri, Raja (December 14, 2021). "Powering the Metaverse". Intel. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
^ Mac, Ryan (October 26, 2022). "Meta's Profit Slides by More Than 50 Percent as Challenges Mount". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
^ ^a ^b Lee, Lik-Hang; Braud, Tristan; Zhou, Pengyuan; Wang, Lin; Xu, Dianlei; Lin, Zijun; Kumar, Abhishek; Bermejo, Carlos; Hui, Pan (October 11, 2021). All One Needs to Know about Metaverse: A Complete Survey on Technological Singularity, Virtual Ecosystem, and Research Agenda. arXiv:2110.05352. doi:10.13140/RG.2.2.11200.05124/8.
^ "Who is Going to Police the 'Metaverse'?". www.hope.ac.uk. April 11, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
^ Abdulsattar Jaber, Tanya (July 11, 2022). "Security Risks of the Metaverse World". International Journal of Interactive Mobile Technologies. 16 (13): 4–14. doi:10.3991/ijim.v16i13.33187. ISSN 1865-7923. S2CID 250467972.
^ Huddleston, Tom (January 31, 2022). "'This is creating more loneliness': The metaverse could be a serious problem for kids, experts say". CNBC. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
^ Evans, Woody (2011). Information Dynamics in Virtual Worlds. Chandos. ISBN 9781780632742. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
^ Basu, Tanya (December 16, 2021). "The metaverse has a groping problem already". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
^ Chalmers, David (January 28, 2022). "What Should Be Considered a Crime in the Metaverse?". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
^ Baker-White, Emily (February 11, 2022). "Meta Wouldn't Tell Us How It Enforces Its Rules In VR, So We Ran A Test To Find Out". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
^ Oremus, Will (February 7, 2022). "Kids are flocking to Facebook's 'metaverse.' Experts worry predators will follow". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
^ Chmielewski, Dawn; Dastin, Jeffrey (October 11, 2022). "Roblox says policing virtual world is like 'shutting down speakeasies'". Reuters. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
^ "The metaverse, NFTs and IP rights: to regulate or not to regulate?". WIPO Magazine. June 2022.
^ ^a ^b Shou, Darren. "I Want My Daughter to Live in a Better Metaverse". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Archived from the original on September 10, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
^ Peck, Andrew (2020). "A Problem of Amplification: Folklore and Fake News in the Age of Social Media". Journal of American Folklore. 133 (529): 329–351. doi:10.5406/jamerfolk.133.529.0329. ISSN 1535-1882. S2CID 243130538.
^ MacDonald, Keza (January 25, 2022). "I've seen the metaverse – and I don't want it". The Guardian. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
^ Kaplan, Andreas (November 2, 2021). "Facebook's Metaverse: A nightmare turning into reality?". ESCP. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
^ Allam, Zaheer; Sharifi, Ayyoob; Bibri, Simon Elias; Jones, David Sydney; Krogstie, John (July 8, 2022). "The Metaverse as a Virtual Form of Smart Cities: Opportunities and Challenges for Environmental, Economic, and Social Sustainability in Urban Futures". Smart Cities. 5 (3): 771–801. doi:10.3390/smartcities5030040. hdl:11250/3051264. ISSN 2624-6511.
^ Lawler, Richard (October 13, 2022). "Decentraland's billion-dollar "metaverse" reportedly had 38 active users in one day". The Verge. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
^ Zitron, Ed. "RIP Metaverse, we hardly knew ye". Business Insider. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
^ Olinga, Marc (March 18, 2023). "Mark Zuckerberg Quietly Buries the Metaverse". The Street. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
^ Stephenson, Neal (1992). Snow Crash. Bantam Books. p. 22. ISBN 9780553351927.
^ Grimshaw, Mark (2014). The Oxford Handbook of Virtuality. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 702. ISBN 9780199826162.
^ In the acknowledgments section following the text of Snow Crash, Stephenson writes: The words "avatar" (in the sense it is used here) and "Metaverse" are my inventions, which I came up with when I decided that existing words (such as "virtual reality") were simply too awkward to use.
^ ^a ^b ^c Neal., Stephenson (2007). Snow crash. Rizzoli. ISBN 978-88-17-01682-7. OCLC 799825166.
^ Grady, Constance (March 26, 2018). "The Ready Player One backlash, explained". Vox. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
^ "Books about metaverse to binge read over Christmas holidays". cnbctv18.com. December 24, 2021. Retrieved February 19, 2022.

@@ Line 4: / Line 4: @@
 {{Distinguish|Multiverse}}
 {{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
+[[File:Second Life 11th Birthday Live Drax Files Radio Hour.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|[[Avatar (computing)|Avatars]] socialising in the virtual world ''[[Second Life]]''|alt=A screenshot of Second Life with people-like models sitting outside on couches around a coffee table. The person second from the right is in a red character suit. In the background in the distance, behind matchstick-shaped trees, are four towers. One tower is glowing with energy, and the tower on the far right is actually a giant space suit. Being a video game from the 2000s, the graphical fidelity is low, lacking shadows, ambient occlusion, and complex materials.]]
-[[File:Un enfant portant un casque de réalité virtuelle (Exalto, Villeurbanne).jpg|thumb|Some software platforms require a [[virtual reality headset]] to explore the metaverse.]]
-In [[science fiction]], the '''metaverse''' is a hypothetical iteration of the [[Internet]] as a single, universal, and immersive [[virtual world]] that is facilitated by the use of [[virtual reality]] (VR) and [[augmented reality]] (AR) headsets.<ref name="O'Brian-Chan">{{cite news |last1=O'Brian |first1=Matt |last2=Chan |first2=Kelvin |date=October 28, 2021 |title=EXPLAINER: What is the metaverse and how will it work? |work=ABC News |agency=Associated Press |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/explainer-metaverse-work-80842516 |url-status=live |access-date=December 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211204012219/https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/explainer-metaverse-work-80842516 |archive-date=December 4, 2021}}</ref><ref name=":032" /> In colloquial usage, a metaverse is a network of 3D [[virtual world]]s focused on social and economic connection.<ref name=":032">{{Cite web |last=Newton |first=Casey |date=July 22, 2021 |title=Mark Zuckerberg is betting Facebook's future on the metaverse |url=https://www.theverge.com/22588022/mark-zuckerberg-facebook-ceo-metaverse-interview |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211025042942/https://www.theverge.com/22588022/mark-zuckerberg-facebook-ceo-metaverse-interview |archive-date=October 25, 2021 |access-date=October 25, 2021 |website=The Verge}}</ref><ref name=":10">{{Cite journal |last1=Ritterbusch |first1=Georg David |last2=Teichmann |first2=Malte Rolf |date=2023 |title=Defining the Metaverse: A Systematic Literature Review |journal=IEEE Access |volume=11 |pages=12368–12377 |doi=10.1109/ACCESS.2023.3241809 |s2cid=256562095 |issn=2169-3536 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Robertson|first=Adi|date=October 4, 2021|title=What is the metaverse, and do I have to care?|url=https://www.theverge.com/22701104/metaverse-explained-fortnite-roblox-facebook-horizon|access-date=March 9, 2022|website=The Verge}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Clark|first=Peter Allen|title=What Is the Metaverse and Why Should I Care?|date=November 15, 2021|url=https://time.com/6116826/what-is-the-metaverse/|access-date=December 29, 2021|magazine=Time}}</ref> In scientific research, it is defined as 'a three-dimensional online environment in which users represented by avatars interact with each other in virtual spaces decoupled from the real physical world'.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=RITTERBUSCH |first1=GEORG DAVID |last2=TEICHMANN |first2=AND MALTE ROLF |date=9 February 2023 |title=Defining the Metaverse: A Systematic Literature Review |url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10035386 |journal=IEEE Access|volume=11 |pages=12368–12377 |doi=10.1109/ACCESS.2023.3241809 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
+The '''metaverse''' is a loosely defined term referring to [[virtual world]]s in which users represented by [[Avatar (computing)|avatars]] interact,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=RITTERBUSCH |first1=GEORG DAVID |last2=TEICHMANN |first2=AND MALTE ROLF |date=9 February 2023 |title=Defining the Metaverse: A Systematic Literature Review |journal=IEEE Access|volume=11 |pages=12368–12377 |doi=10.1109/ACCESS.2023.3241809 |bibcode=2023IEEEA..1112368R |doi-access=free }}</ref> usually in 3D and focused on social and economic connection.<ref name=":032">{{Cite web |last=Newton |first=Casey |date=July 22, 2021 |title=Mark Zuckerberg is betting Facebook's future on the metaverse |url=https://www.theverge.com/22588022/mark-zuckerberg-facebook-ceo-metaverse-interview |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211025042942/https://www.theverge.com/22588022/mark-zuckerberg-facebook-ceo-metaverse-interview |archive-date=October 25, 2021 |access-date=October 25, 2021 |website=The Verge}}</ref><ref name=":10">{{Cite journal |last1=Ritterbusch |first1=Georg David |last2=Teichmann |first2=Malte Rolf |date=2023 |title=Defining the Metaverse: A Systematic Literature Review |journal=IEEE Access |volume=11 |pages=12368–12377 |bibcode=2023IEEEA..1112368R |doi=10.1109/ACCESS.2023.3241809 |issn=2169-3536 |s2cid=256562095 |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Robertson |first=Adi |date=October 4, 2021 |title=What is the metaverse, and do I have to care? |url=https://www.theverge.com/22701104/metaverse-explained-fortnite-roblox-facebook-horizon |access-date=March 9, 2022 |website=The Verge}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Clark |first=Peter Allen |date=November 15, 2021 |title=What Is the Metaverse and Why Should I Care? |url=https://time.com/6116826/what-is-the-metaverse/ |access-date=December 29, 2021 |magazine=Time}}</ref>
-The term ''metaverse'' originated in the 1992 science fiction novel ''[[Snow Crash]]'' as a [[portmanteau]] of "[[meta]]" and "[[universe]]".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Zenou |first=Theo |date=June 30, 2022 |title=A novel predicted the metaverse (and hyperinflation) 30 years ago |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2022/06/30/snow-crash-neal-stephenson-metaverse/ |access-date=September 7, 2022 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Ball |first=Matthew |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pdZKEAAAQBAJ&q=%22snow+crash%22 |title=The Metaverse: And How it Will Revolutionize Everything |date=July 19, 2022 |publisher=Liveright Publishing |isbn=978-1-324-09204-9}}</ref> Metaverse development is often linked to advancing virtual reality technology due to the increasing demands for immersion.<ref name=":82">{{Cite news |last=Brown |first=Dalvin |date=August 30, 2021 |title=What is the 'metaverse'? Facebook says it's the future of the Internet. |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/08/30/what-is-the-metaverse/ |access-date=November 1, 2021}}</ref><ref name=":32">{{Cite web |last=Antin |first=Doug |date=May 5, 2020 |title=The Technology of the Metaverse, It's Not Just VR |url=https://medium.com/swlh/the-technology-of-the-metaverse-its-not-just-vr-78fb3c603fe9 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211025222109/https://medium.com/swlh/the-technology-of-the-metaverse-its-not-just-vr-78fb3c603fe9 |archive-date=October 25, 2021 |access-date=October 25, 2021 |website=The Startup}}</ref><ref name=":92">{{Cite web |last=Neiger |first=Chris |title=Virtual reality is too expensive for most people — but that's about to change |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/why-is-virtual-reality-so-expensive-2016-9 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211025222534/https://www.businessinsider.com/why-is-virtual-reality-so-expensive-2016-9 |archive-date=October 25, 2021 |access-date=October 25, 2021 |website=Business Insider}}</ref> Recent interest in metaverse development is influenced by [[Web3]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fannin |first=Rebecca |date=April 14, 2022 |title=Hong Kong's 'Mr. Metaverse' on why he's placing a big Web3 bet against Mark Zuckerberg |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/14/mr-metaverse-on-why-hes-placing-a-web3-bet-against-mark-zuckerberg.html |access-date=April 26, 2022 |website=CNBC}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=April 8, 2022 |title=The Metaverse Requires a Whole New Vocabulary to Navigate Web3 |work=Bloomberg.com |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-04-08/what-s-the-metaverse-web3-terms-for-a-new-virtual-world |access-date=April 26, 2022}}</ref> a concept for a decentralized iteration of the internet. The term ''metaverse'' has been used as a [[buzzword]] by companies<ref name="O'Brian-Chan" /><ref name="Fischer">{{cite news |last1=Fischer |first1=Sarah |date=November 16, 2021 |title="Metaverse" is Wall Street's new favorite buzzword |work=[[Axios (website)|Axios]] |url=https://www.axios.com/2021/11/16/metaverse-wall-streets-favorite-buzzword |url-status=live |access-date=December 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211204012219/https://news.yahoo.com/metaverse-wall-streets-favorite-buzzword-105525196.html |archive-date=December 4, 2021}}</ref> to exaggerate the development progress of various related technologies and projects for [[public relations]] purposes.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Ravenscraft |first=Eric |date=December 26, 2021 |title=The Metaverse Land Rush Is an Illusion |url=https://www.wired.com/story/metaverse-land-rush-illusion/ |magazine=Wired |issn=1059-1028 |access-date=December 28, 2021}}</ref> [[Information privacy]], user addiction, and user safety are concerns within the metaverse, stemming from challenges facing the social media and video game industries as a whole.<ref name="O'Brian-Chan" /><ref name=":22">{{Cite news |last=Needleman |first=Sarah E. |date=October 16, 2021 |title=The Amazing Things You'll Do in the 'Metaverse' and What It Will Take to Get There |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-amazing-things-youll-do-in-the-metaverse-and-what-it-will-take-to-get-there-11634396401 |url-status=live |access-date=October 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211025044104/https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-amazing-things-youll-do-in-the-metaverse-and-what-it-will-take-to-get-there-11634396401 |archive-date=October 25, 2021 |issn=0099-9660}}</ref><ref name=":102">{{Cite book|last1=Rajan|first1=Amala|last2=Nassiri|first2=Nasser|last3=Akre|first3=Vishwesh|last4=Ravikumar|first4=Rejitha|last5=Nabeel|first5=Amal|last6=Buti|first6=Maryam|last7=Salah|first7=Fatima|title=2018 Fifth HCT Information Technology Trends (ITT)|date=November 1, 2018|chapter=Virtual Reality Gaming Addiction|chapter-url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331347512|pages=358–363|doi=10.1109/CTIT.2018.8649547|isbn=978-1-5386-7147-4|s2cid=67876446|access-date=November 3, 2021|archive-date=December 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207063210/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331347512_Virtual_Reality_Gaming_Addiction|url-status=live}}</ref>
+The term ''metaverse'' originated in the 1992 science fiction novel ''[[Snow Crash]]'' as a [[portmanteau]] of "[[Meta (prefix)|meta]]" and "[[universe]]".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Zenou |first=Theo |date=June 30, 2022 |title=A novel predicted the metaverse (and hyperinflation) 30 years ago |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2022/06/30/snow-crash-neal-stephenson-metaverse/ |access-date=September 7, 2022 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Ball |first=Matthew |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pdZKEAAAQBAJ&q=%22snow+crash%22 |title=The Metaverse: And How it Will Revolutionize Everything |date=July 19, 2022 |publisher=Liveright Publishing |isbn=978-1-324-09204-9}}</ref> In ''Snow Crash'', the metaverse is envisioned as a version of the [[Internet]] that is a single, universal, and immersive [[virtual world]], facilitated by the use of [[virtual reality]] (VR) and [[augmented reality]] (AR) headsets.<ref name="O'Brian-Chan">{{cite news |last1=O'Brian |first1=Matt |last2=Chan |first2=Kelvin |date=October 28, 2021 |title=EXPLAINER: What is the metaverse and how will it work? |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/explainer-metaverse-work-80842516 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211204012219/https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/explainer-metaverse-work-80842516 |archive-date=December 4, 2021 |access-date=December 4, 2021 |work=ABC News |agency=Associated Press}}</ref><ref name=":032" />
-== Implementations ==
-[[File:Second Life 11th Birthday Live Drax Files Radio Hour.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|[[Avatar (computing)|Avatars]] socialising in the virtual world ''[[Second Life]]''|alt=A screenshot of Second Life with people-like models sitting outside on couches around a coffee table. The person second from the right is in a red character suit. In the background in the distance, behind matchstick-shaped trees, are four towers. One tower is glowing with energy, and the tower on the far right is actually a giant space suit. Being a video game from the 2000s, the graphical fidelity is low, lacking shadows, ambient occlusion, and complex materials.]]
+The term "metaverse" is often linked to virtual reality technology,<ref name=":82">{{Cite news |last=Brown |first=Dalvin |date=August 30, 2021 |title=What is the 'metaverse'? Facebook says it's the future of the Internet. |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/08/30/what-is-the-metaverse/ |access-date=November 1, 2021}}</ref><ref name=":32">{{Cite web |last=Antin |first=Doug |date=May 5, 2020 |title=The Technology of the Metaverse, It's Not Just VR |url=https://medium.com/swlh/the-technology-of-the-metaverse-its-not-just-vr-78fb3c603fe9 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211025222109/https://medium.com/swlh/the-technology-of-the-metaverse-its-not-just-vr-78fb3c603fe9 |archive-date=October 25, 2021 |access-date=October 25, 2021 |website=The Startup}}</ref> and beginning in the early 2020s, with [[Web3]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fannin |first=Rebecca |date=April 14, 2022 |title=Hong Kong's 'Mr. Metaverse' on why he's placing a big Web3 bet against Mark Zuckerberg |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/14/mr-metaverse-on-why-hes-placing-a-web3-bet-against-mark-zuckerberg.html |access-date=April 26, 2022 |website=CNBC}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=April 8, 2022 |title=The Metaverse Requires a Whole New Vocabulary to Navigate Web3 |work=Bloomberg.com |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-04-08/what-s-the-metaverse-web3-terms-for-a-new-virtual-world |access-date=April 26, 2022}}</ref> The term has been used as a [[buzzword]] by companies<ref name="O'Brian-Chan" /><ref name="Fischer">{{cite news |last1=Fischer |first1=Sarah |date=November 16, 2021 |title="Metaverse" is Wall Street's new favorite buzzword |work=[[Axios (website)|Axios]] |url=https://www.axios.com/2021/11/16/metaverse-wall-streets-favorite-buzzword |url-status=live |access-date=December 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211204012219/https://news.yahoo.com/metaverse-wall-streets-favorite-buzzword-105525196.html |archive-date=December 4, 2021}}</ref> to exaggerate the development progress of various related technologies and projects for [[public relations]] purposes.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Ravenscraft |first=Eric |date=December 26, 2021 |title=The Metaverse Land Rush Is an Illusion |url=https://www.wired.com/story/metaverse-land-rush-illusion/ |magazine=Wired |issn=1059-1028 |access-date=December 28, 2021}}</ref> [[Information privacy]], user addiction, and user safety are concerns within the metaverse, stemming from challenges facing the social media and video game industries as a whole.<ref name="O'Brian-Chan" /><ref name=":22">{{Cite news |last=Needleman |first=Sarah E. |date=October 16, 2021 |title=The Amazing Things You'll Do in the 'Metaverse' and What It Will Take to Get There |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-amazing-things-youll-do-in-the-metaverse-and-what-it-will-take-to-get-there-11634396401 |url-status=live |access-date=October 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211025044104/https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-amazing-things-youll-do-in-the-metaverse-and-what-it-will-take-to-get-there-11634396401 |archive-date=October 25, 2021 |issn=0099-9660}}</ref><ref name=":102">{{Cite book|last1=Rajan|first1=Amala|last2=Nassiri|first2=Nasser|last3=Akre|first3=Vishwesh|last4=Ravikumar|first4=Rejitha|last5=Nabeel|first5=Amal|last6=Buti|first6=Maryam|last7=Salah|first7=Fatima|title=2018 Fifth HCT Information Technology Trends (ITT)|date=November 1, 2018|chapter=Virtual Reality Gaming Addiction|chapter-url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331347512|pages=358–363|doi=10.1109/CTIT.2018.8649547|isbn=978-1-5386-7147-4|s2cid=67876446|access-date=November 3, 2021|archive-date=December 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207063210/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331347512_Virtual_Reality_Gaming_Addiction|url-status=live}}</ref>
+== History and implementations ==
+[[File:Un enfant portant un casque de réalité virtuelle (Exalto, Villeurbanne).jpg|thumb|Some software platforms require a [[virtual reality headset]] to explore the metaverse.]]
 Components of metaverse technology have already been developed within online [[video game]]s.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Orland |first=Kyle |date=November 7, 2021 |title=So what is 'the metaverse', exactly? |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/11/everyone-pitching-the-metaverse-has-a-different-idea-of-what-it-is/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211109041036/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/11/everyone-pitching-the-metaverse-has-a-different-idea-of-what-it-is/ |archive-date=November 9, 2021 |access-date=November 9, 2021 |website=[[Ars Technica]]}}</ref> The 2003 [[virtual world]] platform ''[[Second Life]]'' is often described as the first metaverse,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Tidy |first=Joe |date=November 5, 2021 |title=Zuckerberg's metaverse: Lessons from Second Life |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-59180273 |url-status=live |access-date=November 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211113200715/https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-59180273 |archive-date=November 13, 2021}}</ref><ref name="usatoday-rosedale-interview3">{{cite news|last=Maney|first=Kevin|date=February 4, 2007|title=The king of alter egos is surprisingly humble guy|newspaper=[[USA Today]]|url=https://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20070205/secondlife_cover.art.htm|access-date=February 20, 2007|archive-date=February 18, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070218101947/http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20070205/secondlife_cover.art.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> as it incorporated many aspects of social media into a persistent three-dimensional world with the user represented as an [[Avatar (computing)|avatar]], but historical claims of metaverse development started soon after the term was coined. Early projects included ''[[Active Worlds]]''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Active Worlds for Windows (1995) |url=https://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/active-worlds |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211111080607/https://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/active-worlds |archive-date=November 11, 2021 |access-date=November 3, 2021 |website=MobyGames}}</ref> and ''[[The Palace (computer program)|The Palace]]''.
 Popular games described as part of the metaverse include [[Habbo|''Habbo Hotel'']],<ref name=":82" /> ''[[World of Warcraft]]'',<ref>{{cite web |last=Woods |first=Bob |date=May 7, 2022 |title=In Microsoft's Activision deal, it's not just stock prices but a future world at stake |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/07/in-microsofts-activision-deal-a-future-world-is-at-stake.html |work=[[CNBC]] |accessdate=May 8, 2022}}</ref> ''[[Minecraft]]'',<ref name=":82" /> ''[[Fortnite]]'',<ref>{{cite web |last=Webster |first=Andrew |date=March 18, 2021 |title=Fortnite's Experimental Story Is An Attempt To Create 'The Entertainment Experience Of The Future' |url=https://www.theverge.com/22338403/fortnite-story-narrative-interview-donald-mustard-epic-games |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210503145155/https://www.theverge.com/22338403/fortnite-story-narrative-interview-donald-mustard-epic-games |archive-date=May 3, 2021 |access-date=May 3, 2021 |work=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> ''[[VRChat]]'',<ref name=":6" /><ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PHT-zBxKQQ |title=Making Sense of VRChat, the 'Metaverse' People Actually Like |date=May 17, 2022 |last=Smith |first=Quinton |type=Video |publisher=[[People Make Games]] |others=Design and art direction by Anni Sayers |access-date=June 24, 2022 |via=[[YouTube]]}}</ref> and game creation platform ''[[Roblox]]''<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wakefield |first=Jane |date=March 10, 2021 |title=Roblox: How the children's game became a $30bn bet on the Metaverse |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-56345586 |access-date=January 9, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sidhwani |first=Priyansh |date=March 12, 2021 |title=The History Of Roblox : From 2004 Until Now |url=https://techstory.in/the-history-of-roblox-from-2004-until-now/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420215249/https://techstory.in/the-history-of-roblox-from-2004-until-now/ |archive-date=April 20, 2021 |access-date=November 3, 2021 |website=TechStory}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Nike gets ahead of the Metaverse and creates 'Nikeland', its own virtual world on Roblox |url=https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/398619 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211126054401/https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/398619 |archive-date=November 26, 2021 |access-date=November 26, 2021 |website=entrepreneur.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kastrenakes |first=Jacob |date=November 19, 2020 |title=Roblox goes public so that it can build a bigger metaverse |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/19/21578491/roblox-ipo-announced-dau-increase-pandemic |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211201062700/https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/19/21578491/roblox-ipo-announced-dau-increase-pandemic |archive-date=December 1, 2021 |access-date=December 1, 2021 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> In a January 2022 interview with ''Wired'', Second Life creator [[Philip Rosedale]] described metaverses as a [[three-dimensional space|three-dimensional]] Internet that is populated with live people.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Edelman |first=Gilad |date=January 27, 2022 |title=How to Build a Better Metaverse |url=https://www.wired.com/story/metaverse-philip-rosedale-second-life/ |magazine=Wired |issn=1059-1028 |access-date=January 27, 2022}}</ref> Social interaction and 3D virtual worlds are often an integral feature in many [[massively multiplayer online game]]s.
-In 2017, [[Microsoft]] acquired the VR company [[AltspaceVR]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Langston |first=Jennifer |date=March 2, 2021 |title='You can actually feel like you're in the same place': Microsoft Mesh powers shared experiences in mixed reality |url=https://news.microsoft.com/innovation-stories/microsoft-mesh/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211103093804/https://news.microsoft.com/innovation-stories/microsoft-mesh/ |archive-date=November 3, 2021 |access-date=November 3, 2021 |website=Innovation Stories}}</ref> and has since implemented virtual avatars and meetings held in virtual reality into [[Microsoft Teams]].<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last=Warren |first=Tom |date=November 2, 2021 |title=Microsoft Teams enters the metaverse race with 3D avatars and immersive meetings |url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/2/22758974/microsoft-teams-metaverse-mesh-3d-avatars-meetings-features |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211117090313/https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/2/22758974/microsoft-teams-metaverse-mesh-3d-avatars-meetings-features |archive-date=November 17, 2021 |access-date=November 17, 2021 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref>
+In 2017, [[Microsoft]] acquired the VR company [[AltspaceVR]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Langston |first=Jennifer |date=March 2, 2021 |title='You can actually feel like you're in the same place': Microsoft Mesh powers shared experiences in mixed reality |url=https://news.microsoft.com/innovation-stories/microsoft-mesh/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211103093804/https://news.microsoft.com/innovation-stories/microsoft-mesh/ |archive-date=November 3, 2021 |access-date=November 3, 2021 |website=Innovation Stories}}</ref> and implemented virtual avatars and meetings held in virtual reality into [[Microsoft Teams]].<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last=Warren |first=Tom |date=November 2, 2021 |title=Microsoft Teams enters the metaverse race with 3D avatars and immersive meetings |url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/2/22758974/microsoft-teams-metaverse-mesh-3d-avatars-meetings-features |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211117090313/https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/2/22758974/microsoft-teams-metaverse-mesh-3d-avatars-meetings-features |archive-date=November 17, 2021 |access-date=November 17, 2021 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> Microsoft shut-down AltspaceVR in March 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last=AltspaceVR |first=Team |date=2023-01-20 |title=AltspaceVR to Sunset the Platform on March 10, 2023 |url=https://altvr.com/sunset/ |access-date=November 23, 2024 |website=AltspaceVR |language=en-US |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230310100938/https://altvr.com/sunset/ |archive-date=March 10, 2023}}</ref>
-In 2019, the social network company Facebook launched a social VR world called ''[[Horizon Worlds|Facebook Horizon]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Constine |first=Josh |date=September 25, 2019 |title=Facebook announces Horizon, a VR massive-multiplayer world |url=https://social.techcrunch.com/2019/09/25/facebook-horizon/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207063211/https://techcrunch.com/2019/09/25/facebook-horizon/ |archive-date=December 7, 2021 |access-date=November 3, 2021 |website=[[TechCrunch]]}}</ref> In 2021, the company was renamed "[[Meta Platforms]]" and its chairman [[Mark Zuckerberg]]<ref>{{Cite news|last=Roose|first=Kevin|date=October 29, 2021|title=The Metaverse Is Mark Zuckerberg's Escape Hatch|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/29/technology/meta-facebook-zuckerberg.html|access-date=October 30, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=October 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211030001124/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/29/technology/meta-facebook-zuckerberg.html|url-status=live}} {{subscription required}}</ref> declared a company commitment to developing a metaverse.<ref name="guard">{{Cite news |last=Milmo |first=Dan |date=October 28, 2021 |title=Enter the metaverse: the digital future Mark Zuckerberg is steering us toward |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/oct/28/facebook-mark-zuckerberg-meta-metaverse |access-date=December 13, 2021}}</ref> Many of the virtual reality technologies advertised by Meta Platforms remain to be developed.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Griffin|first1=Andrew|date=October 28, 2021|title=Facebook changes name to 'Meta' as it focuses on metaverse and tries to move on from controversies|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/facebook-meta-name-new-metaverse-b1947245.html|access-date=October 28, 2021|website=The Independent|location=London|archive-date=October 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028183501/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/facebook-meta-name-new-metaverse-b1947245.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Thomas |first=Daniel |date=October 28, 2021 |title=Facebook changes its name to Meta in major rebrand |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-59083601 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028183649/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-59083601 |archive-date=October 28, 2021 |access-date=October 28, 2021 |website=[[BBC News]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Paul|first1=Kari|date=October 28, 2021|title=Facebook announces name change to Meta in rebranding effort|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/oct/28/facebook-name-change-rebrand-meta|access-date=October 28, 2021|website=The Guardian|location=London|archive-date=October 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028183343/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/oct/28/facebook-name-change-rebrand-meta|url-status=live}}</ref> Facebook whistleblower [[Frances Haugen]] criticised the move, adding that Meta Platforms' continued focus on growth-oriented projects is largely done to the detriment of ensuring safety on their platforms.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hamilton |first=Isobel Asher |date=October 26, 2021 |title=Whistleblower Frances Haugen says Facebook's investment in the 'metaverse' shows how its priorities are all wrong |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-metaverse-frances-haugen-whistleblower-shocked-by-investment-2021-10 |access-date=December 30, 2021 |website=Business Insider}}</ref> Meta Platforms has also faced user safety criticism regarding ''Horizon Worlds'' due to [[sexual harassment]] occurring on the platform.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Stephen |date=December 17, 2021 |title=Meta launched an investigation after a woman said she was groped by a stranger in the metaverse |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/meta-investigated-woman-claims-she-was-groped-in-metas-metaverse-2021-12 |access-date=December 30, 2021 |website=Business Insider}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mahdawi |first=Arwa |date=December 18, 2021 |title=Metaverse is just a new venue for the age-old problem of sexual harassment |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/dec/18/metaverse-new-venue-sexual-harassment-facebook |access-date=December 30, 2021 |website=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sundaravelu |first=Anugraha |date=May 31, 2022 |title=Woman's avatar raped within an hour of signing into the metaverse |url=https://metro.co.uk/2022/05/31/another-womans-avatar-has-been-sexually-assaulted-in-the-metaverse-16737575/ |access-date=June 1, 2022 |website=Metro}}</ref> In 2021, Meta made a loss of over $10&nbsp;billion on its metaverse development department, with Mark Zuckerberg saying he expected operating losses to "increase meaningfully" in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kovach |first=Steve |date=February 2, 2022 |title=Mark Zuckerberg's 'metaverse' business lost more than $10 billion last year, and the losses keep growing |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/02/meta-reality-labs-reports-10-billion-loss.html |access-date=May 13, 2022 |website=[[CNBC]]}}</ref>In February 2023, Zuckerberg wrote a Facebook post announcing the company's pivot away from the metaverse to focus on [[AI]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-07 |title=Meta's "year of efficiency" means job cuts, less metaverse, and more generative AI |url=https://qz.com/meta-layoffs-2023-jobs-metaverse-ai-1850196575 |access-date=2023-03-07 |website=Quartz |language=en}}</ref>
+In 2019, the social network company Facebook launched a social VR world called ''[[Horizon Worlds|Facebook Horizon]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Constine |first=Josh |date=September 25, 2019 |title=Facebook announces Horizon, a VR massive-multiplayer world |url=https://techcrunch.com/2019/09/25/facebook-horizon/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207063211/https://techcrunch.com/2019/09/25/facebook-horizon/ |archive-date=December 7, 2021 |access-date=November 3, 2021 |website=[[TechCrunch]]}}</ref> In 2021, the company was renamed "[[Meta Platforms]]" and its chairman [[Mark Zuckerberg]]<ref>{{Cite news|last=Roose|first=Kevin|date=October 29, 2021|title=The Metaverse Is Mark Zuckerberg's Escape Hatch|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/29/technology/meta-facebook-zuckerberg.html|access-date=October 30, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=October 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211030001124/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/29/technology/meta-facebook-zuckerberg.html|url-status=live}} {{subscription required}}</ref> declared a company commitment to developing a metaverse.<ref name="guard">{{Cite news |last=Milmo |first=Dan |date=October 28, 2021 |title=Enter the metaverse: the digital future Mark Zuckerberg is steering us toward |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/oct/28/facebook-mark-zuckerberg-meta-metaverse |access-date=December 13, 2021}}</ref> Many of the virtual reality technologies advertised by Meta Platforms remain to be developed.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Griffin|first1=Andrew|date=October 28, 2021|title=Facebook changes name to 'Meta' as it focuses on metaverse and tries to move on from controversies|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/facebook-meta-name-new-metaverse-b1947245.html|access-date=October 28, 2021|website=The Independent|location=London|archive-date=October 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028183501/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/facebook-meta-name-new-metaverse-b1947245.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Thomas |first=Daniel |date=October 28, 2021 |title=Facebook changes its name to Meta in major rebrand |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-59083601 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028183649/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-59083601 |archive-date=October 28, 2021 |access-date=October 28, 2021 |website=[[BBC News]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Paul|first1=Kari|date=October 28, 2021|title=Facebook announces name change to Meta in rebranding effort|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/oct/28/facebook-name-change-rebrand-meta|access-date=October 28, 2021|website=The Guardian|location=London|archive-date=October 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028183343/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/oct/28/facebook-name-change-rebrand-meta|url-status=live}}</ref> Facebook whistleblower [[Frances Haugen]] criticised the move, adding that Meta Platforms' continued focus on growth-oriented projects is largely done to the detriment of ensuring safety on their platforms.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hamilton |first=Isobel Asher |date=October 26, 2021 |title=Whistleblower Frances Haugen says Facebook's investment in the 'metaverse' shows how its priorities are all wrong |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-metaverse-frances-haugen-whistleblower-shocked-by-investment-2021-10 |access-date=December 30, 2021 |website=Business Insider}}</ref> Meta Platforms has also faced user safety criticism regarding ''Horizon Worlds'' due to [[sexual harassment]] occurring on the platform.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Stephen |date=December 17, 2021 |title=Meta launched an investigation after a woman said she was groped by a stranger in the metaverse |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/meta-investigated-woman-claims-she-was-groped-in-metas-metaverse-2021-12 |access-date=December 30, 2021 |website=Business Insider}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mahdawi |first=Arwa |date=December 18, 2021 |title=Metaverse is just a new venue for the age-old problem of sexual harassment |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/dec/18/metaverse-new-venue-sexual-harassment-facebook |access-date=December 30, 2021 |website=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sundaravelu |first=Anugraha |date=May 31, 2022 |title=Woman's avatar raped within an hour of signing into the metaverse |url=https://metro.co.uk/2022/05/31/another-womans-avatar-has-been-sexually-assaulted-in-the-metaverse-16737575/ |access-date=June 1, 2022 |website=Metro}}</ref> In 2021, Meta made a loss of over $10&nbsp;billion on its metaverse development department, with Mark Zuckerberg saying he expected operating losses to "increase meaningfully" in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kovach |first=Steve |date=February 2, 2022 |title=Mark Zuckerberg's 'metaverse' business lost more than $10 billion last year, and the losses keep growing |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/02/meta-reality-labs-reports-10-billion-loss.html |access-date=May 13, 2022 |website=[[CNBC]]}}</ref> In February 2023, Zuckerberg wrote a Facebook post announcing the company's pivot away from the metaverse to focus on [[AI]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-07 |title=Meta's "year of efficiency" means job cuts, less metaverse, and more generative AI |url=https://qz.com/meta-layoffs-2023-jobs-metaverse-ai-1850196575 |access-date=2023-03-07 |website=Quartz |language=en}}</ref>
-Some metaverse implementations rely on digital currencies, and often [[cryptocurrency]]. Assets within the metaverse are sometimes traded as [[non-fungible token]]s (NFTs) and track ownership using blockchain technology.<ref>{{cite web |last=Page |first=Thomas |date=September 23, 2022 |title=Pixel pushers: How the metaverse became real estate's new frontier |url=https://www.cnn.com/style/article/metaverse-real-estate-market-2022-spc-intl/index.html |accessdate=October 2, 2022 |work=[[CNN]]}}</ref>
+Some metaverse implementations rely on digital currencies, and often [[cryptocurrency]]. Assets within the metaverse are sometimes traded as [[non-fungible token]]s (NFTs) and track ownership using [[blockchain]] technology.<ref>{{cite web |last=Page |first=Thomas |date=September 23, 2022 |title=Pixel pushers: How the metaverse became real estate's new frontier |url=https://www.cnn.com/style/article/metaverse-real-estate-market-2022-spc-intl/index.html |accessdate=October 2, 2022 |work=[[CNN]]}}</ref>
-Proposed applications for metaverse technology include improving work productivity,<ref name=":8" /><ref name=":42">{{Cite web|first=Veronica|last=Combs|date=October 29, 2021|title=The metaverse: What is it?|url=https://www.techrepublic.com/article/metaverse-what-is-it/|access-date=November 1, 2021|website=TechRepublic|archive-date=October 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211031202202/https://www.techrepublic.com/article/metaverse-what-is-it/|url-status=live}}</ref> interactive learning environments,<ref name=":22" /> [[e-commerce]],<ref name=":22" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=May 30, 2022 |title=Despite metaverse buzz, 60% of consumers have zero interest in virtual shopping |url=https://venturebeat.com/2022/05/30/despite-metaverse-buzz-60-of-consumers-have-zero-interest-in-virtual-shopping/ |access-date=June 1, 2022 |website=VentureBeat}}</ref> mass-audience interaction,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Takahashi |first=Dean |date=November 3, 2022 |title=Why Improbable's Herman Narula believes virtual society will foster transhumanism |url=https://venturebeat.com/games/why-improbables-herman-narula-believes-virtual-society-will-lead-us-to-transhumanism/ |access-date=November 8, 2022 |website=VentureBeat |quote=The sleeping giants of the metaverse are massive communities – celebrities are a great example – who don't monetize those communities very well. They can't engage with them very easily. They want a new way of doing that. That is who the metaverse is going to unlock value for.}}</ref> healthcare and <ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Curtis |first1=Caitlin |last2=Brolan |first2=Claire |date=November 27, 2022 |title=Health care in the metaverse |journal=Medical Journal of Australia |volume=218 |issue=1 |page=46 |doi=10.5694/mja2.51793|pmid=36437589 |s2cid=254042167 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Wang |last2=Badal |last3=Jia |last4=Maltz |last5=Mueller |last6=Myers |last7=Niu |last8=Vannier |last9=Yan |last10=Yu |last11=Zeng |date=Nov 25, 2022 |title=Development of metaverse for intelligent healthcare |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s42256-022-00549-6 |journal=Nature Machine Intelligence |volume=4 |issue=11 |pages=922–929 |doi=10.1038/s42256-022-00549-6|pmid=36935774 |pmc=10015955 |s2cid=253564988 |pmc-embargo-date=November 15, 2023 }}</ref> real estate.<ref name=":22" />
+Proposed applications for metaverse technology include improving work productivity,<ref name=":8" /><ref name=":42">{{Cite web|first=Veronica|last=Combs|date=October 29, 2021|title=The metaverse: What is it?|url=https://www.techrepublic.com/article/metaverse-what-is-it/|access-date=November 1, 2021|website=TechRepublic|archive-date=October 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211031202202/https://www.techrepublic.com/article/metaverse-what-is-it/|url-status=live}}</ref> interactive learning environments,<ref name=":22" /> [[e-commerce]],<ref name=":22" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=May 30, 2022 |title=Despite metaverse buzz, 60% of consumers have zero interest in virtual shopping |url=https://venturebeat.com/2022/05/30/despite-metaverse-buzz-60-of-consumers-have-zero-interest-in-virtual-shopping/ |access-date=June 1, 2022 |website=VentureBeat}}</ref> mass-audience interaction,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Takahashi |first=Dean |date=November 3, 2022 |title=Why Improbable's Herman Narula believes virtual society will foster transhumanism |url=https://venturebeat.com/games/why-improbables-herman-narula-believes-virtual-society-will-lead-us-to-transhumanism/ |access-date=November 8, 2022 |website=VentureBeat |quote=The sleeping giants of the metaverse are massive communities – celebrities are a great example – who don't monetize those communities very well. They can't engage with them very easily. They want a new way of doing that. That is who the metaverse is going to unlock value for.}}</ref> healthcare<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Curtis |first1=Caitlin |last2=Brolan |first2=Claire |date=November 27, 2022 |title=Health care in the metaverse |journal=Medical Journal of Australia |volume=218 |issue=1 |page=46 |doi=10.5694/mja2.51793|pmid=36437589 |s2cid=254042167 |doi-access=free |pmc=10952226 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Wang |last2=Badal |last3=Jia |last4=Maltz |last5=Mueller |last6=Myers |last7=Niu |last8=Vannier |last9=Yan |last10=Yu |last11=Zeng |date=Nov 25, 2022 |title=Development of metaverse for intelligent healthcare |journal=Nature Machine Intelligence |volume=4 |issue=11 |pages=922–929 |doi=10.1038/s42256-022-00549-6|pmid=36935774 |pmc=10015955 |s2cid=253564988 }}</ref> and real estate.<ref name=":22" />
 == Technology ==
@@ Line 30: / Line 33: @@
 Dependence on VR technology has limited metaverse development and wide-scale adoption.<ref name=":32" /> Limitations of portable hardware and the need to balance cost and design have caused a lack of high-quality graphics and mobility.<ref name=":4" /> Lightweight wireless headsets have struggled to achieve [[retina display]] pixel density needed for visual immersion.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last1=Wood |first1=Rhys |date=October 14, 2021 |title=This Oculus VR headset could feature lifelike resolution – here's why that matters |url=https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/this-oculus-vr-headset-could-feature-lifelike-resolution-heres-why-that-matters |access-date=January 9, 2022 |website=TechRadar}}</ref> Another issue for wide-scale adoption of the technology is cost, with consumer VR headsets [[Comparison of virtual reality headsets|ranging in price]] from $300 to $3500 as of 2022.<ref name=":82" /><ref name=":1" />
-Current hardware development is focused on overcoming limitations of [[VR headset]]s, sensors, and increasing immersion with [[haptic technology]].<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Lewis|first1=Leo|last2=Davies|first2=Christian|last3=Jung-a|first3=Song|date=January 5, 2022|title=Investors gear up for 'gold rush' in metaverse hardware|work=Financial Times|url=https://www.ft.com/content/182bb2a7-b4e4-4d0d-8178-4cd9b4c225c4|access-date=January 8, 2022}}</ref>
+Current hardware development is focused on overcoming limitations of [[VR headset]]s, glasses, sensors, and increasing immersion with [[haptic technology]].<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Lewis|first1=Leo|last2=Davies|first2=Christian|last3=Jung-a|first3=Song|date=January 5, 2022|title=Investors gear up for 'gold rush' in metaverse hardware|work=Financial Times|url=https://www.ft.com/content/182bb2a7-b4e4-4d0d-8178-4cd9b4c225c4|access-date=January 8, 2022}}</ref>
 === Software ===
@@ Line 37: / Line 40: @@
 [[Universal Scene Description]] is a specification for 3D computer graphics interchange created by [[Pixar]] and supported by [[Blender (software)|Blender]], [[Apple Inc.|Apple]]'s [[SceneKit]] and [[Autodesk 3ds Max]]. The technology company [[NVIDIA]] announced in 2021 they would adopt USD for their metaverse development tools.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Caulfield |first=Brian |date=April 27, 2021 |title=Universal Scene Description Key to Shared Metaverse, GTC Panelists Say |url=https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2021/04/27/usd-metaverse-gtc/ |access-date=December 24, 2021 |website=The Official NVIDIA Blog}}</ref>
-[[glTF]] is a specification for the efficient transmission and loading of 3D scenes and models by engines and applications created by the [[Khronos Group]], an industry consortium developing royalty free open standards. In August 2022 it was announced that glTF 2.0 had been released as the [[ISO]]/[[IEC]] 12113:2022 International Standard.<ref>{{Cite web|date=July 26, 2022|title=ISO/IEC 12113:2022 Information technology — Runtime 3D asset delivery format — Khronos glTF 2.0|url=https://www.iso.org/standard/83990.html|website=The Official ISO Website}}</ref>
+[[glTF]] is a specification for the efficient transmission and loading of 3D scenes and models by engines and applications created by the [[Khronos Group]], an industry consortium developing royalty free open standards. In August 2022 it was announced that glTF 2.0 had been released as the [[ISO]]/[[International Electrotechnical Commission|IEC]] 12113:2022 International Standard.<ref>{{Cite web|date=July 26, 2022|title=ISO/IEC 12113:2022 Information technology — Runtime 3D asset delivery format — Khronos glTF 2.0|url=https://www.iso.org/standard/83990.html|website=The Official ISO Website}}</ref>
 [[OpenXR]] is an open standard for access to virtual and augmented reality devices and experiences. It has been adopted by [[Microsoft]] for [[HoloLens 2]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Edicott |first=Sean |date=July 23, 2019 |title=OpenXR now available on the Microsoft Store for Windows Mixed Reality |url=https://www.windowscentral.com/openxr-now-available-microsoft-store-windows-mixed-reality |access-date=January 8, 2022 |website=Windows Central}}</ref> [[Meta Platforms]] for the [[Oculus Quest]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Heaney |first=David |date=September 13, 2019 |title=Oculus Rift Has Hidden Preliminary Support For OpenXR |url=https://uploadvr.com/oculus-rift-basic-openxr-support/ |access-date=January 8, 2022 |website=UploadVR}}</ref> [[HTC]] for the [[HTC Vive]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Heaney |first=David |date=April 14, 2022 |title=HTC's Vive Focus 3 Standalone Headset Gets Beta OpenXR Support |url=https://uploadvr.com/vive-focus-3-openxr-beta/ |website=UploadVR}}</ref> [[Qualcomm]] for the Snapdragon Spaces XR Developer Platform,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sprigg |first=Sam |date=June 1, 2021 |title=Qualcomm announces global availability of its Snapdragon Spaces XR Developer Platform |url=https://www.auganix.org/qualcomm-announces-global-availability-of-its-snapdragon-spaces-xr-developer-platform/ |website=Auganix}}</ref> and [[Valve Corporation|Valve]] for [[SteamVR]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 18, 2022 |title=Conformant Products |url=https://www.khronos.org/conformance/adopters/conformant-products/openxr |publisher=[[Khronos Group]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=February 24, 2021|title=Steam :: SteamVR :: Introducing SteamVR 1.16|url=https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/250820/view/3044967019267211914|access-date=January 8, 2022|website=store.steampowered.com}}</ref>
@@ Line 48: / Line 51: @@
 In December 2021, [[Raja Koduri]], senior vice president of Intel, claimed that "Truly persistent and immersive computing, at scale and accessible by billions of humans in real time, will require even more: a 1,000-times increase in computational efficiency from today's state of the art."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Koduri |first=Raja |author-link=Raja Koduri |date=December 14, 2021 |title=Powering the Metaverse |url=https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/newsroom/opinion/powering-metaverse.html |access-date=February 22, 2022 |website=Intel}}</ref>
-In an article for ''[[The New York Times]]'' on October 26, 2022, Ryan Mac, a technology reporter, claimed that for the past year, Mark Zuckerberg has struggled to find the best way to achieve the metaverse. He failed.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mac |first=Ryan |date=October 26, 2022 |title=Meta's Profit Slides by More Than 50 Percent as Challenges Mount |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/26/technology/meta-facebook-q3-earnings.html |access-date=November 3, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
+In an article for ''The New York Times'' on October 26, 2022, Ryan Mac, a technology reporter, claimed that for the past year, Mark Zuckerberg has struggled to find the best way to achieve the metaverse. He has yet to succeed.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mac |first=Ryan |date=October 26, 2022 |title=Meta's Profit Slides by More Than 50 Percent as Challenges Mount |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/26/technology/meta-facebook-q3-earnings.html |access-date=November 3, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
 === Privacy ===
@@ Line 56: / Line 59: @@
 User addiction and [[problematic social media use]] is another concern. [[Internet addiction disorder]], social media, and [[video game addiction]] can have mental and physical repercussions over a prolonged period of time, such as depression,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Huddleston |first=Tom |date=January 31, 2022 |title='This is creating more loneliness': The metaverse could be a serious problem for kids, experts say |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/31/psychologists-metaverse-could-be-a-problem-for-kids-mental-health.html |access-date=February 2, 2022 |website=CNBC}}</ref> anxiety, and various other harms related to having a [[sedentary lifestyle]] such as an increased risk for [[obesity]] and [[cardiovascular disease]].<ref name=":102" /> Experts are also concerned that the metaverse could be used as an 'escape' from reality in a similar fashion to existing internet technologies.<ref name=":5" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Evans |first=Woody |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tpRlAgAAQBAJ&dq=woody%20evans&pg=PA95 |title=Information Dynamics in Virtual Worlds |date=2011 |publisher=Chandos |isbn=9781780632742 |access-date=November 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207063211/https://www.google.com/books/edition/Information_Dynamics_in_Virtual_Worlds/tpRlAgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=woody+evans&pg=PA95&printsec=frontcover |archive-date=December 7, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>
-[[Virtual crime]] like [[sex abuse]], [[child grooming]], and harassment are significant challenges within existing virtual reality social platforms, and may be similarly prevalent in the metaverse.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Basu |first=Tanya |date=December 16, 2021 |title=The metaverse has a groping problem already |url=https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/12/16/1042516/the-metaverse-has-a-groping-problem/ |access-date=January 19, 2022 |website=[[MIT Technology Review]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Chalmers |first=David |date=January 28, 2022 |title=What Should Be Considered a Crime in the Metaverse? |url=https://www.wired.com/story/crime-metaverse-virtual-reality/ |magazine=Wired |issn=1059-1028 |access-date=January 28, 2022}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Baker-White |first=Emily |date=February 11, 2022 |title=Meta Wouldn't Tell Us How It Enforces Its Rules In VR, So We Ran A Test To Find Out |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/emilybakerwhite/meta-facebook-horizon-vr-content-rules-test |access-date=March 6, 2022 |website=[[BuzzFeed News]]}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Oremus |first=Will |date=February 7, 2022 |title=Kids are flocking to Facebook's 'metaverse.' Experts worry predators will follow. |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/02/07/facebook-metaverse-horizon-worlds-kids-safety/ |access-date=February 18, 2022}}</ref> In February 2022, investigations by BBC News and ''The Washington Post'' found minors engaging in adult activities in applications such as [[VRChat]] and [[Horizon Worlds]] despite an age requirement of 13 years or older.<ref name=":6">{{Cite news |last1=Crawford |first1=Angus |last2=Smith |first2=Tony |date=February 23, 2022 |title=Metaverse app allows kids into virtual strip clubs |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-60415317 |access-date=March 6, 2022}}</ref>
+[[Virtual crime|Virtual crimes]]  like [[sex abuse]], [[child grooming]], and harassment are significant challenges within existing virtual reality social platforms, and may be similarly prevalent in the metaverse.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Basu |first=Tanya |date=December 16, 2021 |title=The metaverse has a groping problem already |url=https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/12/16/1042516/the-metaverse-has-a-groping-problem/ |access-date=January 19, 2022 |website=[[MIT Technology Review]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Chalmers |first=David |date=January 28, 2022 |title=What Should Be Considered a Crime in the Metaverse? |url=https://www.wired.com/story/crime-metaverse-virtual-reality/ |magazine=Wired |issn=1059-1028 |access-date=January 28, 2022}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Baker-White |first=Emily |date=February 11, 2022 |title=Meta Wouldn't Tell Us How It Enforces Its Rules In VR, So We Ran A Test To Find Out |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/emilybakerwhite/meta-facebook-horizon-vr-content-rules-test |access-date=March 6, 2022 |website=[[BuzzFeed News]]}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Oremus |first=Will |date=February 7, 2022 |title=Kids are flocking to Facebook's 'metaverse.' Experts worry predators will follow. |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/02/07/facebook-metaverse-horizon-worlds-kids-safety/ |access-date=February 18, 2022}}</ref> In February 2022, investigations by BBC News and ''The Washington Post'' found minors engaging in adult activities in applications such as [[VRChat]] and [[Horizon Worlds]] despite an age requirement of 13 years or older.<ref name=":6">{{Cite news |last1=Crawford |first1=Angus |last2=Smith |first2=Tony |date=February 23, 2022 |title=Metaverse app allows kids into virtual strip clubs |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-60415317 |access-date=March 6, 2022}}</ref>
 In an October 2022 interview, Roblox Chief Scientist Morgan McGuire stated that it is "a challenge to moderate 3D", and also compared moderating [[Roblox]] to shutting down [[Speakeasy|speakeasies]].<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Chmielewski |first1=Dawn |last2=Dastin |first2=Jeffrey |date=October 11, 2022 |title=Roblox says policing virtual world is like 'shutting down speakeasies' |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/reuters-momentum-roblox-says-policing-virtual-world-is-like-shutting-down-2022-10-11/ |access-date=October 12, 2022}}</ref>
@@ Line 64: / Line 67: @@
 === Social issues ===
-Metaverse development may magnify the social impacts of online [[Echo chamber (media)|echo chambers]] and digitally alienating spaces<ref name=":032" /><ref name=":7">{{Cite magazine |last=Shou |first=Darren |title=I Want My Daughter to Live in a Better Metaverse |url=https://www.wired.com/story/i-want-my-daughter-to-live-in-a-better-metaverse/ |url-status=live |magazine=Wired |issn=1059-1028 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210910165607/https://www.wired.com/story/i-want-my-daughter-to-live-in-a-better-metaverse/ |archive-date=September 10, 2021 |access-date=November 1, 2021}}</ref> or abuse common social media engagement strategies to manipulate users with biased content.<ref name=":7" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Peck |first=Andrew |date=2020 |title=A Problem of Amplification: Folklore and Fake News in the Age of Social Media |journal=Journal of American Folklore |volume=133 |issue=529 |pages=329–351 |doi=10.5406/jamerfolk.133.529.0329 |issn=1535-1882 |s2cid=243130538}}</ref> Keza MacDonald of ''[[The Guardian]]'' criticized the utopianism of technology companies who claim that a metaverse could be a reprieve from worker exploitation, [[prejudice]], and [[discrimination]]. MacDonald stated that they would be more positive towards metaverse development if it was not dominated by "companies and disaster capitalists trying to figure out a way to make more money as the real world's resources are dwindling."<ref>{{Cite web |last=MacDonald |first=Keza |date=January 25, 2022 |title=I've seen the metaverse – and I don't want it |url=https://www.theguardian.com/games/2022/jan/25/ive-seen-the-metaverse-and-i-dont-want-it |access-date=January 27, 2022 |website=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> Marketing professor [[Andreas Kaplan]], citing their experience studying ''[[Second Life]]'' users, argues that the metaverse may have a generally negative societal impact due to their strongly addictive potential.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kaplan|first=Andreas|date=November 2, 2021|title=Facebook's Metaverse: A nightmare turning into reality?|url=https://thechoice.escp.eu/tl-dr/facebooks-metaverse-a-nightmare-turning-into-reality/|access-date=March 10, 2022|website=ESCP}}</ref> People with physical disabilities like [[deafness]] or [[blindness]] are disadvantaged without technologies addressed to [[Assistive technology|accessibility]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Allam |first1=Zaheer |last2=Sharifi |first2=Ayyoob |last3=Bibri |first3=Simon Elias |last4=Jones |first4=David Sydney |last5=Krogstie |first5=John |date=July 8, 2022 |title=The Metaverse as a Virtual Form of Smart Cities: Opportunities and Challenges for Environmental, Economic, and Social Sustainability in Urban Futures |journal=Smart Cities |volume=5 |issue=3 |pages=771–801 |doi=10.3390/smartcities5030040 |issn=2624-6511 |doi-access=free}}</ref>
+Metaverse development may magnify the social impacts of online [[Echo chamber (media)|echo chambers]] and digitally alienating spaces<ref name=":032" /><ref name=":7">{{Cite magazine |last=Shou |first=Darren |title=I Want My Daughter to Live in a Better Metaverse |url=https://www.wired.com/story/i-want-my-daughter-to-live-in-a-better-metaverse/ |url-status=live |magazine=Wired |issn=1059-1028 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210910165607/https://www.wired.com/story/i-want-my-daughter-to-live-in-a-better-metaverse/ |archive-date=September 10, 2021 |access-date=November 1, 2021}}</ref> or abuse common social media engagement strategies to manipulate users with biased content.<ref name=":7" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Peck |first=Andrew |date=2020 |title=A Problem of Amplification: Folklore and Fake News in the Age of Social Media |journal=Journal of American Folklore |volume=133 |issue=529 |pages=329–351 |doi=10.5406/jamerfolk.133.529.0329 |issn=1535-1882 |s2cid=243130538}}</ref> Keza MacDonald of ''[[The Guardian]]'' criticized the utopianism of technology companies who claim that a metaverse could be a reprieve from worker exploitation, [[prejudice]], and [[discrimination]]. MacDonald stated that they would be more positive towards metaverse development if it was not dominated by "companies and disaster capitalists trying to figure out a way to make more money as the real world's resources are dwindling."<ref>{{Cite web |last=MacDonald |first=Keza |date=January 25, 2022 |title=I've seen the metaverse – and I don't want it |url=https://www.theguardian.com/games/2022/jan/25/ive-seen-the-metaverse-and-i-dont-want-it |access-date=January 27, 2022 |website=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> Marketing professor [[Andreas Kaplan]], citing their experience studying ''[[Second Life]]'' users, argues that the metaverse may have a generally negative societal impact due to their strongly addictive potential.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kaplan|first=Andreas|date=November 2, 2021|title=Facebook's Metaverse: A nightmare turning into reality?|url=https://thechoice.escp.eu/tl-dr/facebooks-metaverse-a-nightmare-turning-into-reality/|access-date=March 10, 2022|website=ESCP}}</ref> People with physical disabilities like [[deafness]] or [[blindness]] are disadvantaged without technologies addressed to [[Assistive technology|accessibility]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Allam |first1=Zaheer |last2=Sharifi |first2=Ayyoob |last3=Bibri |first3=Simon Elias |last4=Jones |first4=David Sydney |last5=Krogstie |first5=John |date=July 8, 2022 |title=The Metaverse as a Virtual Form of Smart Cities: Opportunities and Challenges for Environmental, Economic, and Social Sustainability in Urban Futures |journal=Smart Cities |volume=5 |issue=3 |pages=771–801 |doi=10.3390/smartcities5030040 |issn=2624-6511 |doi-access=free|hdl=11250/3051264 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>
 === Lack of adoption ===
@@ Line 79: / Line 82: @@
 }}
-The term ''metaverse'' was coined in [[Neal Stephenson]]'s 1992 [[science fiction]] novel ''[[Snow Crash]]'', where humans, as programmable [[Avatar (computing)|avatars]], interact with each other and [[software agent]]s, in a [[3D computer graphics|three-dimensional]] virtual space that uses the metaphor of the real world.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Grimshaw|first=Mark|title=The Oxford Handbook of Virtuality|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2014|isbn=9780199826162|location=New York|page=702}}</ref> Stephenson used the term to describe a [[virtual reality]]-based successor to the [[internet]].<ref>In the acknowledgments section following the text of ''Snow Crash'', Stephenson writes: ''The words "avatar" (in the sense it is used here) and "Metaverse" are my inventions, which I came up with when I decided that existing words (such as "virtual reality") were simply too awkward to use.''</ref>
+The term ''metaverse'' was coined by [[Neal Stephenson]] in his 1992 [[science fiction]] novel ''[[Snow Crash]]'', where humans, represented by computer-generated [[Avatar (computing)|avatars]], interact with each other and [[software agent]]s, in a [[3D computer graphics|three-dimensional]] virtual space that uses the metaphor of the real world.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Grimshaw|first=Mark|title=The Oxford Handbook of Virtuality|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2014|isbn=9780199826162|location=New York|page=702}}</ref> Stephenson used the term to describe a [[virtual reality|virtual-reality]]-based successor to the [[internet]].<ref>In the acknowledgments section following the text of ''Snow Crash'', Stephenson writes: ''The words "avatar" (in the sense it is used here) and "Metaverse" are my inventions, which I came up with when I decided that existing words (such as "virtual reality") were simply too awkward to use.''</ref>
 Neal Stephenson's metaverse appears to its users as an [[Urban area|urban]] environment developed along a 100-meter-wide road, called the Street, which spans the entire [[1 E7 m|65,536&nbsp;km]] (2<sup>16</sup> km) circumference of a featureless, black, perfectly spherical planet. The virtual [[real estate]] is owned by the Global Multimedia Protocol Group, a fictional part of the real [[Association for Computing Machinery]], and is available to be bought and buildings developed thereupon.<ref name=":13">{{Cite book|last=Neal.|first=Stephenson|url=http://worldcat.org/oclc/799825166|title=Snow crash|date=2007|publisher=Rizzoli|isbn=978-88-17-01682-7|oclc=799825166}}</ref>
@@ Line 97: / Line 100: @@
 * [[Massively multiplayer online role-playing game]]
 * [[Supranet]]
+* [[Spatial computing]]
 ==References==
@@ Line 110: / Line 114: @@
 [[Category:Science fiction themes]]
 [[Category:Fiction about virtual reality]]
-[[Category:1990s neologisms]]
+[[Category:1992 neologisms]]
 [[Category:Futurism]]