Top 6 Metaverse Use Cases Everyone Should Know in 2024
Introduction to Metaverse
The metaverse could be a beneficial technology to elevate your personal and professional lives. The term was first introduced in the early 1990s in a novel by Neal Stephenson, named Snow Crash. Surprisingly, the metaverse use cases and traits that were mentioned in the novel align closely with how it turned out to be.
The novel portrayed the metaverse as a three-dimensional world that users can access using goggles and equipment, and you can customize a virtual avatar to represent your character.
In this blog, we’ll go over what the metaverse is, some of the metaverse use cases, and which companies have used it.
What is the Metaverse?
If you looked for the meaning of the metaverse in the dictionary, you would find that it means: “a virtual-reality space in which users can interact with a computer-generated environment and other users.”
But what does this mean? How can people interact with a computer-generated environment? We will break it down for you.
Imagine a place, much like our environment, where you live, work, shop, learn, and meet other people. All of the things that you can enjoy in real life with this one not-so-simple adjustment. You can do it from the comfort of your bed in the physical world.
The metaverse is a digital space, a three-dimensional web-powered space that uses augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). More technical terms, I know. Do you remember Pokemon Go? How was everyone going to different places to catch the Pokemon? This is a good example of augmented reality. It’s an enhanced and interactive experience of a real-world environment.
Virtual reality is a bit different, as you would need special electronic equipment to fully immerse yourself in the virtual world. For example, a helmet with a screen or gloves that have sensors.
The metaverse use cases require both technologies to create a fully immersive experience and environment. The metaverse is even considered a vision or a goal for many tech experts, who believe that a 3D virtual space is the future.
Users in the metaverse can come together and perform any chosen activity. To get into the metaverse, you will have an avatar that represents you; it can look or do anything that you want. The metaverse has virtual spaces too, so houses, shops, restaurants, and any place you can think of.
You can interact with other people, work, play games, and perform most of the activities that you can do in everyday life.
The metaverse is beneficial as it can reduce the need to travel and use physical resources. Imagine leaving to have dinner with your friend after work; the restaurant is an hour away from your office, and there’s traffic. But in the metaverse, click a few buttons, and it is done.
Metaverse Use Cases
Work Environment
The pandemic has led to a transition to remote or hybrid work, where we used to work from our computers and our beds. However, keeping track of everything that was going on was a hassle. The metaverse could help with that. The technology can be used to facilitate team collaboration and communication in a virtual environment.
A company with remote employees could create a virtual office in the metaverse; each employee can have their own workspace, allowing them to collaborate and communicate with each other in a more engaging way.
Another excellent use case of the metaverse in the workplace is removing language barriers. A company can have employees from different countries, and with the improvements in artificial intelligence and technology in general, employees can communicate effortlessly.
Gaming Experiences in the Metaverse
The gaming industry is one of the primary investors in metaverse technology. There are multiple games that exist in the metaverse, and they allow players to interact with other participants in a single environment.
Metaverse can transform the player into the gaming world, making the player’s experience special, immersive, and enjoyable.
Education and Training Metaverse Use Cases
The traditional idea of educational institutions changed altogether after the COVID-19 pandemic. Restrictions on in-person gatherings led to the development of e-learning platforms and digital training.
The metaverse could be a beneficial platform for businesses and institutions to offer virtual training and education to the public. A simulated environment in the metaverse could transform the way education is delivered and provide a more engaging learning environment that appeals to a lot of the new generation.
Another good advantage of training and education in the metaverse is the reduction of injuries in cases of high danger probabilities in some industries. Training new employees in the metaverse would be a safe environment for them and could increase the efficacy of the employees with engaging learning modules that guarantee their safety.
Metaverse Use Cases in Advertising and Marketing
The opportunities for advertising and marketing in the metaverse are endless. Virtual billboards and showrooms are examples of companies using the metaverse for advertising and marketing.
Virtual showrooms in the metaverse can allow customers to explore products and services in a digital environment. If you want to buy a piece of furniture, for example, wouldn’t it be better to see how it would look in your space first? This would allow customers to make informed decisions. An avatar could even help you in the showroom and answer all your questions, and you can visit the showroom whenever you want.
Travel and Tourism in the Metaverse
Seeing the world is something we all want to try, but a lot of restrictions are preventing that goal from happening. Virtual tourism is one of the most anticipated use cases of the metaverse. Using the technology, you can travel in a virtual environment to any place you want without anything holding you back.
An example of this is the 360° virtual tour, a completely virtual view of a physical place. The user can feel as if they are at a location without moving a toe out of its place. Users can look up, down, turn, zoom in and out, and focus on a specific object just as if they were present.
Entertainment in the Metaverse
The metaverse could upgrade the way entertainment businesses operate and open up whole new doors for them. One example would be virtual concerts. The metaverse can provide a platform for artists to create virtual concerts that offer a new way to connect with fans.
Launching a virtual concert in the metaverse could help an artist reach fans from all over the world, and all of the fans can interact with others in a virtual environment.
How Do NFTs Fit into the Metaverse?
Non-fungible-tokens or NFTs, play a big role in the metaverse. Fungible items are things that could be replaced with something else, as in interchangeable. NFTs are non-fungible and 100% unique. They are much like proof of ownership for anything digital. Art, music, and real estate are all examples of things that could be digitized and thus could become an NFT.
Developing a metaverse would need NFTs, as they are records of digital ownership and can’t be stolen, destroyed, copied, or deleted. This type of technology would be very beneficial in the metaverse, as it would be proof of everything digital you possess.
Metaverse Examples
Facebook (Meta)
In 2021, Facebook’s parent company underwent a significant transformation and rebranded itself as Meta, marking a strategic shift from merely a social media giant to a company focused on building the metaverse.
Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and CEO of Meta, describes the metaverse as a space that would allow people to “connect, work, play, learn, and shop.” Within this framework, Meta introduced several standout features for the metaverse.
One of the features is Horizon Worlds, “an ever-expanding social universe”. This universe is the home of over 10,000 worlds, uses VR technology, and offers multiplayer gaming, music, films, and more.
Horizon Workrooms is another feature of Meta’s metaverse, which is designed to stimulate and replicate a physical workplace experience. The third feature is Horizon Venues, a place where you can attend concerts or sports games without leaving your home.
Nike
Nike launched a metaverse built within the Roblox ecosystem, called Nikeland. According to Nike, the metaverse’s purpose is to create an engaging 3D space for people who are passionate about sports and gaming.
Nikeland is inspired by the real-life Nike headquarters and provides users with a unique virtual experience. On the metaverse, people can try on Nike’s virtual products with their avatars, buy NFTs, and enjoy mini-games.
Amazon
Amazon has produced a new feature called “Amazon Anywhere,” which allows you to delve into the virtual world and have a one-of-a-kind immersive shopping experience. The feature is included in video games or mobile applications.
In Amazon Anywhere, you can discover and buy physical products from Amazon stores without having to leave your game or app. The first launch was in collaboration with Peridot, a real-world augmented reality game from the makers of Pokemon Go.
Conclusion
The metaverse can help you a lot in your business, no matter what industry you are in. Embrace the metaverse technology and offer an immersive experience like never before.
Make a move into the metaverse with the help of a metaverse development services company. We are experts in augmented reality, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence. We cover everything from conceptualization up to designing the metaverse elements.