When Will the Metaverse Evolve Beyond Cartoonish Avatars?

Although there is substantial interest in metaverse technology, there is much work to do. Most projects have abysmal graphics, lack fun and engagement, and struggle to deliver a suitable degree of immersion. All of that can change following the incorporation of more realistic objects and interactions, and that future may be a lot closer than some think. 

Cartoonish Metaverse Projects Aren’t The Vibe

The theoretical concept of metaverse technology and its current technical implementation are two very different creatures. On paper, metaverse environments go beyond virtual and augmented reality, immersing players in a setting as if they are physically there. It is a lot like the book “Ready, Player One”  depicts, although it does not seem technologically feasible today. The result is a growing array of cartoonish metaverse experiences no one wants and people grow bored of rather quickly. 

Although there is no shortage of projects claiming to deliver metaverse experiences, few of them retain users. Moreover, the lack of decent graphics, engaging content or experiences, and a bleak social aspect make these environments hideouts for diehard cryptocurrency users, but they offer zero mainstream appeal. Unless something changes drastically, the technology’s potential will not be fully utilized.

If a metaverse lacks immersion, users will look for more engaging solutions. There is a reason why Second Life – although not a modern metaverse – was so successful: it gave users plenty to do across various aspects and boosted social engagement. Current metaverse solutions either have content – which tends to get repetitive quickly – or a social aspect, but struggle to unify both. The solution is rather simple: step up the graphics, boost overall immersion, and introduce more meaningful social interactions.

The technology powering metaverses is more than capable of checking the right boxes. What holds metaverse experiences back today is the vision by developers and teams who primarily focus on play-to-earn aspects rather than what users want. It is essential to establish an engaging environment first, rather than lure people in with promises of making money. That latter approach always leads to money-making trumping fun, which is counterintuitive to what metaverses should provide. 

Taking The Next Evolutionary Step

Transitioning from current-grade cartoonish metaverses to more engaging worlds and spaces will not happen overnight. It requires several crucial building blocks, including better online communication support, better environmental graphics, and more lifelike objects. It is not an impossible checklist, but one that may take a while for developers to integrate. Incorporating these elements will onboard millions of users who seek education on and exposure to non-fungible tokens to customize their metaverse experience.

Speaking of NFT exposure, the metaverse needs an easier onboarding process for acquiring non-fungible tokens. Looking Glass Labs created an exciting precedent in 2021 by letting users buy their Genesis NFT through Coinbase or PayPal. These non-fungible tokens are a membership sale to access private sales of NFT collectibles created by House of Kibaa. That latter firm specializes in functional art and collectibles to exist across different environments simultaneously. Moreover, HoK aims to build a hyper-realistic metaverse built on Unreal Engine in 2022. 

Looking beyond the NFT aspect, Looking Glass Labs showcases the importance of raising the industry standard for 3D production. A metaverse is only engaging if it is lifelike rather than cartoonish. A more “real” experience will lead to new and unexplored use cases, utility, and social opportunities that would otherwise not present themselves. Bringing that technology and infrastructure to global businesses and passionate builders will help evolve the metaverse concept and bring more eyeballs to the Web3 industry.

Building A Lifelike Metaverse

This technology has a growing portfolio of projects, designers, services, and assets. For example, the play-to-earn game Overlords prioritizes user engagement and interaction, whereas LGL’s metaverse environment and digital distribution service offer a spectacular 3D world to create, explore, share, and learn. House of Kibaa will continue to design lifelike and functional 3D assets to enhance the appeal of the metaverse further.

Combining social engagement with top-tier 3D capabilities and blockchain-agnosticism will propel metaverses forward. Moreover, the Looking Glass Labs ecosystem features GenZeroes, a live action series where real actors and artists come together to merge Web2 narration and story-telling with Web3 technology. 

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