With the increasing growth of blockchain technology and digital currencies in recent years, we have always seen the introduction of new tokens and content on this emerging platform. Part of this content is dedicated to games developed based on blockchain technology, and the developers have used features such as digital tokens and Non Fungible Tokens or NFTs. In the meantime, some crypto games present a metaverse virtual world to the players, including various entertaining digital and virtual content. With the possibility of using these metaverse games on mobile phones, a new revolution has taken place in the field of mobile games, the entry of these games into international markets, and earning money through games.

Authors: Mohammad Tajbakhsh, Tiina Pernanen

The term metaverse has become increasingly popular in recent years as more and more businesses embrace its place as the technology of the future economy. While this word is mostly used on the internet and online space, its definition can still be quite vague for many people in the world (Zhang et al. 2022.) Since the metaverse is described as the next big transform, it’s worth understanding the concept and figuring out exactly what this big transform is.

What are metaverse games and how does it work?

Metaverse is created from the combination of two words Meta meaning “beyond” and Universe meaning “world”. Therefore, its literal meaning becomes “beyond the world”. To better understand the concept of the metaverse, we can take as example video games that present an unreal, but inclusive world. Metaverse does not refer to a specific project. Currently, many companies are looking to realize their own Metaverse. In fact, they want to create a large virtual network where users can interact with each other as well as with their surroundings (Zhang et al. 2022.) According to Sudeep Srivastava (2022), the Co-Founder of Appinventiv, a leading Metaverse development company, Metaverse games are more like a platform where users can produce their own content. They can exchange the content they have created, or the items they have earned by playing, with other players and earn money in this way. One of the most important features that made Metaverse games popular is their income generation aspect.

Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are two important technologies that contribute to the concept of the metaverse. To understand how Metaverse works, you need to be familiar with these two technologies to some extent. Virtual reality is a world created by a computer and people can enter this world by using VR glasses to interact with the environment and objects around them. In a virtual reality environment, users can walk around the environment, hear different sounds, use their hands to do other things, and have an experience close to real life. But in augmented reality, things are a bit different. In this technology, one or more virtual elements and items are added to the real environment. That is, unlike virtual reality which takes you into a completely virtual world, in augmented reality, the real environment is preserved and only a series of virtual objects or elements will be added to it. Metaverse uses these two technologies to create a different world from the original world, and on the other hand, by combining blockchain and NFT with the aforementioned technologies, it tries to shape a digital economy. Metaverse games also use these features. In fact, most of the Metaverse games are focused on owning NFTs. (Anderson et al. 2022.)

Metaverse seamlessly combines gaming, virtual reality, live streaming, digital currency, and social media as players navigate an ecosystem of competing products. For example, a player who obtains a piece of digital art, available as an NFT, from a game developed by a particular company, can use the same item in another game by another company (Bersin 2021.) One of the common points of crypto games and metaverse is the requirement to connect the user account to a digital currency wallet. In such a way that to start these games and enter their world, users must create a user account on the specific network on which the blockchain system of the game is based, and sometimes even charge their wallets with digital tokens. In metaverse games, players are usually placed in the form of an avatar in a virtual world and can perform various activities individually or in groups with their friends (Bersin 2021.)

Metaverse and future opportunities

The metaverse is expanding and there is no doubt about that fact. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume that the best Metaverse games will grab the headlines in the coming years. Metaverse has been able to attract the attention of big and famous companies such as Walt Disney, Nvidia, Amazon, Microsoft, and Facebook. In the virtual world of Metaverse, in addition to facilities such as shopping, socializing, training, traveling, working, participating in music concerts, etc., it is also possible to buy land using cryptocurrencies. In Metaverse platforms, virtual pieces of land operate as NFT tokens and are sold piece by piece. Investors can earn money by buying these lands through Decentraland, Sandbox, and Upland platforms (Bersin 2022.)

As reported by Cointelegraph, DappRadar (2022) shows that seven of the top 10 blockchain games recorded an increase in unique wallet addresses. In September 2022, the company noted that most of its top games will be mobile-first, a key feature in its push for wider mainstream adoption (Quarmby 2022.) This platform can be the next destination for mobile game companies to enter international markets or to internationalize their games through Metaverse. In such a way that they design and present games under the Metaverse network that the players can generate income at the same time and at the same time they cross the borders of the real world and directly connect to the global market with millions of users from all over the world. Of course, reaching this goal has its requirements, companies must update their resources and capabilities, and investors may be needed to meet these expenses.

References

Anderson, J. & Rainie, L. 2022, The Metaverse in 2040. Pew Research Center. Cited 7 Oct 2022. Available at http://www.pewresearch.org/

Bersin, J. 2021. What Is the Metaverse? Facebook’s strategy and how Microsoft, Disney, and Amazon could win. The Josh Bersin Academy. Cited 19 Oct 2022. Available at https://joshbersin.com/2021/11/what-is-the-metaverse-and-how-microsoft-disney-and-amazon-could-win/

DappRadar. 2022. Top Blockchain Games. Cited 19 Oct 2022. Available at https://dappradar.com/rankings/category/games

Quarmby, B. 2022. Blockchain gamers surge as users attempt “stacking crypto” — DappRadar. Cointelegraph, Cited 19 Oct 2022. Available at https://cointelegraph.com/news/blockchain-gamers-surge-as-users-attempt-stacking-crypto-says-dappradar

Srivastava, S. 2022. How Could Metaverse be a Game Changer for the Virtual Gaming Industry? Appinventiv Blog. Cited 19 Oct 2022. Available at https://appinventiv.com/blog/metaverse-gaming/

Zhang, X., Chen, Y., Hu, L. & Wang, Y. 2022. The metaverse in education: Definition, framework, features, potential applications, challenges, and future research topics. Educational Psychology, Wenzhou University. Cited 16 Oct 2022. Available at https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1016300

Authors

Mohammad Tajbakhsh is an MBA Master’s graduate at LAB University of Applied Sciences.

Tiina Pernanen, Senior Lecturer at LAB University of Applied Sciences.

Illustration: https://pxhere.com/en/photo/1204851 (CC0)

Publication Date: 14.11.2022

Reference to this article

Tajbakhsh, M. & Pernanen, T. 2022. Metaverse – new mobile games era? LAB Pro. Cited and the date of citation. Available at https://www.labopen.fi/en/lab-pro/metaverse-new-mobile-games-era/