What is the Metaverse?
In recent months, you have probably started hearing about the metaverse app, Facebook’s name changing to Meta, and the general advancements in the way people will soon interact with virtual reality. The foundation for the metaverse is to facilitate peoples’ increasing creation of and participation in virtual spaces. These interactive digital spaces, powered by visual technology, are both the metaverse and the future of humanity.
As mentioned in our previous article about the Metaverse, “The metaverse is described by Meta as “a set of virtual spaces where you can create and explore with other people who aren’t in the same physical space as you.” The word doesn’t refer to a certain type of technology. Rather, it’s a shift in how we interact with technology.”
Advances in technology are now going to allow peoples’ real lives and experiences to take place largely outside of a physical environment. If you’ve seen the movie Ready Player One, you are already familiar with the idea of another universe, achieved through virtual reality goggles.
Additionally, it is likely that there will not exist one single metaverse; rather a variety of different metaverses that people visit based on personal interests.
With this imminent shift in personal and public use of technology, companies are already shifting their outlook to stay current with the times. Brands and businesses are beginning to create metaverse strategies as an extension of their content strategies.
Comparable to the social media boom of the 2000s, the 2020s will see a marked wave of digital pioneers engineering businesses’ virtual space strategies, and strengthening their metaverse teams in preparation for the next Internet era.
These strategies, like the metaverse itself, will be based on increasingly potent visual technology; businesses and brands will add to an infinite possibility of virtual worlds and experiences which will ultimately change the world. The opportunities for no-code creation thanks to User-Generated Content (UGC) are also key for this advancement; we will cover no-code in the next section of this article.
The metaverse is just the Internet’s transition from 2D websites to 3D cyberspaces. Instead of meeting up in a physical space, people will be able to expand their digital existence, then participate in and continue to form communities online; all based around interactive and gamified content.
From social opportunities to education to work, the amount of interactions that will immerse people in virtual environments is set to increase substantially. Currently, the foundations are being laid for the rise of the metaverse.
With all the media hype around this subject, a digital land grab for the metaverse has already begun. While it’s not clear how and where the metaverse will play out, the building blocks and ground stakes have started with numerous companies buying virtual plots.
By 2027, LDV Capital predicts that the bulk of major companies will have a metaverse strategy, following a similar pattern to which companies developed their online and social media presences over the last decades.
In the near future, augmented and mixed reality events taking place in the metaverse will be key for creators, companies, and brands to maintain close connections with their fans.
Augmented reality involves overlaying virtual information and objects onto the real world, according to Forbes. Some better-known examples of augmented reality include Snapchat and Instagram filters, as well as the interactive Pokemon GO game that everyone was wild about a few years ago.
On the other hand, Forbes describes mixed reality as somewhat of a “hybrid reality.” They explain that, “In mixed reality, digital and real-world objects co-exist and can interact with one another in real-time.” The implications of people’s widespread use of this technology are truly groundbreaking.
Physical events in the form of concerts and shows will still be very much a part of peoples’ worlds when these technologies become widespread. However, multi-dimensional, mixed reality concert experiences will take center stage in the metaverse as a huge step from live streaming and in-game concerts.
This will make a clear difference in every aspect of life, not only in the gaming and concert scenes, but also in the related to e-commerce, social life, and the workplace.
Picture countless immersive storefronts used to sell digital-only assets, such as the quickly growing number of NFTs (non-fungible tokens). These mixed reality spaces will also allow the sale of real-world products, changing commerce and e-commerce forever. As LDV Capital points out, entire business divisions will be created to ideate, build, and release innumerable digital assets, in the same way, that physical items and merchandise have been sold for millennia.
What is no-code?
Put simply, no-code is software in the form of service. It is designed for users to customize any type of digital product or environment with little to no coding experience. That’s right, hence the name, often no background or expertise in coding is necessary. Think of it as relatively easy, highly customizable boilerplate software for non-technical people.
No-code platforms allow flexible and easy-to-understand design spaces for different purposes, giving users the tools to endlessly create UGC. This is a huge advancement for the way regular people will utilize metaverse apps and extended reality technology in the near future.
Furthermore, any user-friendly, prefabricated set of drag and drop features that users can select in order to customize their creations is defined as no-code. It makes creation and design just that much easier. You might already be familiar with some existing no-code software companies, which are commonly used in business applications. Some examples include:
“A low-code platform for building collaborative apps.”
A platform that allows users to build e-commerce stores.
A platform that allows users to create a website or blog.
A tool that integrates applications and automates workflows.
Certainly at the core of the no-code development is User-Generated Content or UGC. This is a growing trend in all of its aspects, and it is a key part to keep up with in order to be conscious of how the worldbuilding no-code landscape is progressing.
What are no-code metaverse applications?
No-code metaverse applications are simply the growing number of new applications designed for users -really anyone- to create, share, publish, and enjoy their own metaverse. They are easy to understand and accessible due to their no-code nature. Many features are even free at this point. Much of peoples’ future interactions and lives will take place on metaverse applications. You can find ideas and inspiration below.
Main Players Involved
There are already more than a few prominent players involved in no-code metaverse applications. Here are some ones you may want to know:
Geenee
As Forbes states, Geenee has launched a “cloud-based no-code AR creation platform [which] enables publishing AR content to the web in a simple WebXR interface.” This means that no app download is necessary. You just have to scan a QR code or click a URL to launch augmented reality content. “We did the free trial and it really works, which means [anyone] can do it. The company release did not mention the metaverse, making it much more credible,” said Forbes.
According to auganix.org, some core features of the Geenee augmented reality system include:
- The ability to drag and drop in order to edit, powered by Geenee’s “image recognition and advanced tracking technology.”
- A cloud-based platform that’s accessible on any desktop connected to the Internet.
- On-demand audio features powered by Spotify.
- Ability to drop multiple 2D and 3D files into an augmented reality scene, while maintaining animation and transparency (.glb, .gif, .mp4, .jpeg, and .png are all compatible).
- “Built-in analytics & insights.”
- Ability to publish a URL and QR code, instantly generated and accessible by over 3.5 Billion iOS and Android devices worldwide.
- “Instant access to a diverse library of free-to-use 3D models, powered by Sketchfab.”
- Much more!
“You do not need 3D and 2D design skills. You do not need to be an engineer. You can drop in any asset from jpgs, pngs, gifs, .mp4s, .glbs, .mp3s and experience it in AR – and it’s instantly published to the web. By making it easy for anyone to jump in, we’re hoping that we will see digital content become more tactile, life-like and literally in your world,” said Geenee’s Head of Product Design & Creative, Heather Lipner.
Yahaha Studios
Yahaha Studios, which was founded by veteran Unity users, has successfully secured an investment of more than $50 million for its game-creating metaverse business plan. This is perhaps partly due to the company’s relatively straightforward approach to no-code building in the metaverse.
According to the team, the funding will be focused on developing its metaverse game-creation platform. They explained that: “…Yahaha Studios has focused on a modular method for developing the metaverse. In doing so, developers would easily access a range of already-existing artwork, assets, and more to build and monetize game titles on the metaverse.”
They are seeking to offer “…a uniquely creative and social experience to game developers and gamers alike,” said CEO Chris Zhu.
Scapic
Scapic is a no-code platform, one of the pioneers in metaverse tools, and one of the first available on the market. It gives e-commerce operators the ability to create, explore, and share experiences through augmented reality, virtual reality, and 3D products. This “luxury” no-code service, recently acquired by Flipkart, will allow businesses to incorporate compelling 3D imagery and AR to showcase and market their products.
Mainly operated in India, it has become one of the leading support platforms for e-commerce platforms such as Shopify and WooCommerce.
“With so much emphasis on visual interactions, product experience will become one of the ways of convincing customers to buy from merchants online. This platform aims to deliver an unmistakable and unforgettable product experience that stands merchants out from their competitors.” Scapic focuses on 3D product visuals, augmented reality, and product pictures to create the shopping experience.
Trends and Implications
Already, most successful gaming hits include immersive worlds which function largely due to User-Generated Content, (UGC). These games are the antecedents to the worldbuilding set to occur in the future. Examples of these games include:
Minecraft: “The world is yours for the making.”
Roblox: “We enable anyone to imagine, create, and have fun with friends as they explore millions of immersive 3D experiences, all built by a global community of developers.“
Equipped with the correct tools, and given the freedom to create what they want, people will cause an unprecedented growth rate of everything related to no-code and the metaverse. A very potent factor of this point in human history and how we live our lives is the rise of escapism.
Nowadays, many people end up accepting their current positions in life, acting with a resigned and fatalistic approach towards their futures. You’ve definitely seen it around you- probably even to some degree in yourself. It’s not always a bad thing.
“Everyone utilizes escapist strategies in life, as the harsh realities of life are apparent and permeate the human race,” says Fort Behavioral Health. However, the familiarity of escapism through technology could become more pronounced in the near future.
By studying the current state of the world and pure human nature, it’s evident that people often settle into the routine of daily life; they don’t want to put in the effort to continue or even begin personal progress. One issue with escapism today is the amount of readily available technology. People of all ages, nationalities and walks of life spend the majority of their free time on electronics, looking for ways to escape their personal realities.
Cases of both mild and extreme escapism are increasing steadily. This trend combined with incredible, existence-changing technologies such as no-code software and virtual reality, is unprecedented. It makes a future with a higher prevalence of escapism easier to envision.
People used to fantasize about taking vacations to paradise locations or famous sites. Traditionally, travel was a widely sought-after form of temporary escapism. We used to dream about going to these places to have the experience and escape from daily life that way. Nowadays, people perform escapism constantly through social media, video games, phone apps, etc.
These games and apps are an escape from the stress and/or boredom of peoples’ daily lives. They provide endless, on-demand, real-time entertainment and distraction. It’s easy to binge-watch countless hours of content through Netflix and an ever-growing catalog of streaming services. It’s easy to disconnect from reality and the physical world through these means, and most people have access to them.
Addiction to escapism is a huge fuel for the large-scale virtual worldbuilding that will soon take place. The more accessible worldbuilding tools are, the more likely it is they will be used. Therefore, the percentage of the population that will be encouraged or even required to use this technology will also grow.
Now, the possibilities are truly out of proportion when you imagine combining these UGC and no-code technologies with augmented reality to enhance reality. Another step further is combining them with virtual reality, not only in a gaming landscape but in an environment that feels real.
Users will have the necessary tools and settings at their disposal that will enable them to create their own virtual fantasy experiences, universes, and even lives. User-generated content and other worldbuilding tools in virtual reality platforms could very well be the essential building blocks for those systems’ growth and popularity.
The up-and-coming stage of the technology revolution will utilize predominantly 2D visuals with some 3D representations of people, characters and objects, just as we can currently witness in the gaming landscape. On the close horizon, much of the metaverse will shift into 3D and 4D as more advanced technology enables people to create lifelike multi-dimensional models of both real-world objects using just a few images captured on a smartphone, as well as fantastical objects and scenes.
Just to give one example, people will soon be able to take pictures of their desk space and connect those pictures to the metaverse. That way, they will be able to work, type, and chat from their physical desk and virtually in an extended reality situation.
In the instance of the fantastical objects, scenarios, and worlds that people will be able to create, there is essentially no limit! Anything that exists in the real world can be copied and modified in the metaverse, and practically anything that does not exist in reality can be fabricated; anything that people can imagine.
Over time, this technological evolution will include further immersion of the human senses. We will see the use of computer-neural interfaces which allow their users to communicate or control external devices using brain signals rather than the brain’s normal output pathways of peripheral nerves and muscles. This will truly be a new age for the human race and how we interact with virtual technology; that is, inside of our bodies.
How can someone get involved with no-code metaverse work?
If you would like to try your hand at the no-code metaverse, you’re in luck; it’s fairly simple! Right now, you can invite your friends, customers, or colleagues to a website that you can create, and they can explore, interact, and communicate with both 2D and 3D options.
Just make your way over to metaverses.io and you can actually start creating your own metaverse today.
The website’s instructions can be found here:
“Creating your own metaverse in 3 simple steps.
1. Start by registering and claiming a verse name in one simple step.
2. Create a metaverse.json file and upload it to your website (or GitHub Gist / Glitch) i.e. https://metaverses.io/metaverse.json
3. Invite your friends, colleagues, and customers!”
The metaverses.io website also advertises that:
“Our WebXR + WebRTC platform supports: mobile (phones & tablets), desktop, and immersive VR (Oculus & Vive) and AR (Hololens & MagicLeap) with no downloads!”
On this preliminary version of the metaverse, you can create your 3D metaverse in minutes, host up to 50 people on one metaverse at a time, with audio and video included. In order to host more people (thousands) in the same virtual space, simply link multiple multiverses together.
Also, this no-code service works with Twitter Bootstrap and all other HTML templating programs, provided that they have the HTML iframe tag. Moreover, the website’s existing navigation can even overlay on your new 3D world, while the existing 2D content is still available to be seen.
