Meta-curse: A dissenting opinion on the Metaverse
I started W.R.K.S games to build a Metaverse. So it would seem weird, perhaps even counterproductive, for me to be the one that argues against it.
Our goals have not changed and we still believe that persistent VR game worlds that marry gaming, work, living, social, and economy are the future. But not the near-term future. W.R.K.S Games will not be launching its first Metaverse for another 10–15 years.
There is a good reason for that. It will take us that long to figure out and execute the consumer value proposition that is the Metaverse. We are doing it for you — the gamer.
Right now, the game industry is awash in Metaverse love. Tens of millions of investment capital are pouring into any company that yells “Metaverse” loudly enough. That is tens of millions of other people's money that are about to be wasted. Because it exists only to create an investor value proposition and not a gamer value proposition.
There are, in point of fact, no gamers yelling out for a Metaverse of anything. We just came out of a year-long Covid lockdown that clearly proved that humans cannot survive without each other even for a few months without real-world contact. Why would anyone want to be living, working, and gaming in virtual worlds 24/7? Nobody is asking for that.
There are huge problems to surmount before we can launch a real Metaverse. How will the money be moved in out-of-game economies without opening up a can of worms for money laundering? How will we let children participate in these worlds without opening up avenues of exploitation and abuse? How will governments regulate these new virtual worlds in a way that creates a safe environment for everyone to exist and play? Who is going to police the owners of the Metaverses?
There are so many problems that need to be ironed out, even for us, a company that started on day 1 with a clear vision of what we wanted to do — it will take a decade to get ready to do it right.
So it's also important to discuss and debate the passage to the Metaverse responsibly. I am amazed to see game companies saying they are ready to launch Metaverses today. Of course, you’re not. Amazed to see tens of millions of investor capital being hurled at pipe dreams that are poorly thought out and irresponsibly launched to market. Pure greed.
The Metaverse vision is not the next step in gaming. It's the next step in everything. And as such, needs to be moved forward responsibly, with a balanced view of progress over speed and most importantly — a clear consumer value proposition.
It's up to the makers to be responsible for what they are making. Not the gamers to just figure it out no matter what the consequences.
Ironically the voice of reason in this discussion is Mark Zuckerberg, who is the only top-tier executive in gaming platforms that is honest about the situation and has noted that in reality, Facebook's Metaverse is 10 years away.
As indeed is ours. There will come a time when you will be able to don VR goggles and enter our universes of Jordenheim and Katana-Ra and live and breathe those worlds. Makers will be able to live off the income they generate on creating content and mods for our worlds. Gamers will be able to exist, game, commune, and live in our worlds. You will really be able to play to earn. But that is the future.
Right now, we have a long road of problems to solve to get ready for it. And when the time comes, gamers really want it, and we are prepared for it — the W.R.K.S Metaverses will launch. Until then — game on!
