Global Metaverse Bootcamp: Part 1

Blockchain to Metaverse

The session was taken through by Xiao Wu, the CEO of White Matrix, the organizers of this program.

Blockchain Innovation Today

Cryptokitties was the first ERC-721-based blockchain game that allows users to collect and breed kitties.

ERC721 is a standard for representing ownership of non-fungible tokens, that is, where each token is unique. ERC721 enables the creation and trading of NFTs on the ETH platform. ERC721 is a more complex standard than ERC20, with multiple optional extensions, and is split across a number of contracts.

NFTs use-cases have risen over the past year for example:-

• Olympic NFT - Tokyo 2020 sold via USDC & Visa. The NFTs sold out within 24 hours.
• Tiktok Publish NFT first creator led NFT collection in collaboration with Immutable X at the auctions made have been sold out.
• When Facebook renamed itself to Meta, it announced that their Metaverse will support NFTs
• Microverse released Windows 11 NFT during the launch of Windows 11, Microsoft describes its Windows 11 NFT as a “one-of-a-kind cryptographic token that lives in your digital wallet and unlocks valuable experiences and rewards.”
• Artists like Justin Bieber have been seen creating their metaverse experience on live performance and music videos.

Why do we need Metaverse

Metaverse is a term coined by the science fiction writer Neal Stephenson in his 1992 novel Snow Crash to describe an immersive reality mimicking that of the real world.

The resources on earth are limited, with the increment market and boom of the internet we need to move from a limited to unlimited paradigm. With Metaverse we can avoid the battles in the stock market by creating an unlimited experience with a low marginal cost. The internet boom led to the global recession which was a result of the rise of companies like Google, Amazon, Microsoft which have gotten to the worldwide market.

Why Blockchain-Metaverse

Metaverse is the promise of the blockchain. Metaverse is a life-like virtual reality on the internet and there are two types of metaverse:-

• the one that is immersive & controlled i.e created by companies
• blockchain-based metaverse i.e everyone is connected, crypto transactions, dApps(decentralized applications), open, interactive, and connected

How to build Metaverse

the genesis of the metaverse is based on:

• perception i.e algorithms & interface
• regulation i.e blockchain is open, connected & transparent
• mass production i.e AI for a fantastic metaverse

Tiktok publishing made a high-profile entry into the NFT market by publishing an ad in New York Times thus decentralizing themselves by using NFT to create with more creators.

Metaverse Seoul blockchain-driven metaverse i.e social journey(education and city life) Metaverse Seoul, a blockchain-driven metaverse that aims to make Seoul, South Korea a city of coexistence, a global leader, a safe city, and a future emotional city. The Seoul Metropolitan Government has invested about €2.8 billion on this project as part of the Vision 2030 plan and intends to create the virtual communication ecosystem for all areas i.e economic, cultural, tourism, educational, and civic service, in three stages from next year.

CityDAO is building a city on the Ethereum blockchain linked to a physical piece of land. Recently Vitalik Buterin bought NFT citizenship on CityDAO & Francis Suarez said Miami city would be giving a BTC yield to residents for staking MiamiCoin.

The Flow blockchain from Dapper Labs, the creators of CryptoKitties, chase Flow Blockchain: Home of NBA TopShoot. With NBA TopShoot brands embracing blockchain, NBA teams, players, and history are minted into NFTs that are sold to fans. Over 100M in crypto-collectible NFT has been sold.

Blockchain-driven Metaverse use-cases

Sandbox is a virtual Metaverse where players can play, build, own, and monetize their virtual experiences. It empowers artists, creators, and players to build the platform they always envisioned, providing the means to unleash your creativity.

Decentraland allows users to create(scenes, artwork & challenges), explore(land owned by users to experience incredible scenes & structures), and trade(land, estates, avatar wearables, and names) in the first-ever virtual world that they own.

Cryptovoxel Cryptovoxels is a virtual world and metaverse, powered by the Ethereum blockchain. Players can buy land and build stores and art galleries. It has editing tools, avatars, and text chat which are built-in.

Metaverse for Social Good: Thoughts from University Perspectives

session taken through by Wei Cai, Ph.D.

Fundamentals of Metaverse

• Metaverse is virtual reality or a space where people can interact.
• Virtual Reality(VR) and Argument Reality are components of Metaverse and they already exist i.e virtual games and persistent games.
• Cloud computing, network, electricity are needed to support the metaverse.

• The metaverse is defined by tradable, negotiable, digital assets and user-generated content.

• Metaverse's motivation originates from Vitalik Buterin's About me page:-

"I was born in 1994 in Russia and moved to Canada in 2000, where I went to school. I happily played World of Warcraft during 2007-2010, but one day Blizzard removed the damage component from my beloved warlock's Siphon Life spell. I cried myself to sleep, and on that day I realized what horrors centralized services can bring. I soon decided to quit."

Solid Fundamentals for Metaverse

centralized servers have limited digital access but blockchain support on metaverse allows change from centralized to decentralized servers with Defi, NFT, play-to-earn, GameFi(gaming world).

Reviewing Metaverse from Layers

The virtual world intersection with the physical world is made up of three layers i.e ecosystem, interaction, and infrastructure:-
Ecosystem
comprises:-

• user-generated content i.e people are the consumers and creators
• economics
• artificial intelligence(AI)

Interaction
comprises:-

• content creation interface
• immerse intersection
• digital twins N/B: Virtual Reality(VR), and Argument Reality(AR) as the brain interface of the computer for common UX and make it feel real.

infrastructure
comprises:-

• blockchain & storage
• computation power
• communication & network

History of the Metaverse

Writes back to Snow Crash, a Novel written in 1992 and before 1992 car games played by people without computer support created an experience. After 1992 the internet was created to connect people i.e multiplayer world and players started discussing hence creating a narrative(GUI).

3D Graphics

• mosiver which had massive users and advanced virtual economies
• Second Life game with no rules, rewards, open society which is virtual.
• Roblox game which connects people
• Fortnite

Features of Metaverse

• Text-based Games
• Virtual Open Worlds
• MMO Video Games
• Decentralized-virtual world

Infrastructure Blockchain

Axie Infinity is not a metaverse but a play-to-earn gaming model with YGG Finance model, UGC blockchain game components unlike blockchain games based on metaverse like Cryptovoxel, Decentraland and Sandbox which still under development but has the same concept as Robloxand players create their own games.

The web eases accessibility via URL and unity makes access difficult

Metaverse For Social Good

Accessibility

• Blockeley: UC Berkely Graduation Ceremony - Minecraft
• Concert of Travis Scott surreal & spectular concert- Fornite (post-covid) Diversity based on limited resources
• Joe Biden's presidential campaign - Animal Crossing
• Poster exhibition in virtual Standford University

Equality

• Decentralized Autonomous Organization(DAO) - decentral and ability to vote, use unique crypto, and no bias based on skin color or languages. Humanity
• Assassin's creed unity - Human
• Forbidden city Minecraft - Human Engineering

The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CUHKSZ) blockchain-driven Metaverse for Social Good - Prototype for creating content, sharing views, and liquidity tokens. instead of staking it delivered by location/rate of the token by decentralized smart contract e.g being in the dormitory instead of the library, lecture halls reduces tokens and vice versa spending more night hours studying instead of being in the dormitory for better behavior.

Perspective Fields

Blockchain(crypto), user-generated content(UGC), interactive technology, finance, gaming/entertainment, social networks are parts of fields that will play a role in the metaverse.

Resources

• Metaverse Research Paper - 2021
• Blockchain Game Research - 2018 Thoughts on Future of Metaverse (5-10 years)
• parallel metaverse trend
• interoperable token(DEX/AMM)
• interoperable NFTs (cross different games) > “I cannot think of anything that can replace fibre optics. In the next 1,000 years, I can’t think of a better system. But don’t believe what I say, because I didn’t believe what experts said either.” Sir Dr. Charles Kuen Kao

From Web2 to Web3

Session by Suji Yan, Mask

Web 1.0

• Internet and digital evolution started 25 years ago in the 90s.
• Operating System with windows dominating in the 90s, Netscape browser built with windows OS. After the introduction of Javascript in 1995 to develop websites word to windows apps was replaced. Web 2.0 Today's infrastructure is based on:- data trackers, centralized IDs, social community likes of Twitter, Google, Microsoft, Facebook-Libra among others. Web 3.0 Our solution

Mask

Mask Network is built upon web 3.0 to grant networks i.e dApps, Web 3.0 projects. Mask acts as a bridge between Web 2.0 and Web 3.0.

Features of Mask Network

• encrypted message(privacy)
• file service
• NFT
• ITO(Initial Twitter Offering)
• Trading - Twitter-enabled exchange
• Red Packet - for sending crypto/money First Red Packet on Twitter
• 10 twitter influencers including makerDAO, Vitalik, dAppReviewer prior to covid in 2020 used it.
• low gas fees. Directly buy and sell NFTs on Twitter
• Mask supports marketplaces like OpenSea and Rarible Web3 Gallery This detects ENS/ERC20 address on your Twitter profile and automatically shows all NFTs owned to that address. It lets everyone know you own them. No more JPEGs. Enable NFT Avatar using MASK extension.

Mask x Cent
Mask in collaboration with Cent enables buying the tweet you just saw on Twitter, mint tweets. Mask remains here to connect Web2 & Web3 on the Metaverse.

Thank you for reading through my article this has been a long article with a lot of information based on Metaverse, blockchain-driven metaverse, features, fundamentals, and tech stacks relevant to metaverse and use-case of connecting web2 to web3 on Metaverse. This was a continuation of Global Metaverse Bootcamp article in the next article I'll cover NFTs and the relevance of art in the Metaverse.