Aaron Frank has been researching virtual worlds for ten years. He does this at Singularity University in California. In this interview, the tech expert answers my most burning questions about the Metaverse.
What is the Metaverse - and when is it coming? Will we soon spend our working days as edgy Facebook avatars in Mark Zuckerberg's pixel universe? Or are we knee-deep in Fortnite gaming without even realizing it?
These questions don't just divide the minds of the Digitec editorial team. To get to the bottom of the matter, I asked someone who knows. Aaron Frank works as a consultant, teacher and researcher at Singularity University in Santa Clara, California - he feels at home in virtual worlds.
Aaron, you work at Singularity University in Silicon Valley, which sounds like an exciting place. What exactly do you do there? Aaron Frank: Yes, it's an interesting place. Singularity University wants to understand the role of rapid growth in technology - and what its consequences are for the economy, society and politics of our global civilization.
And what is your role within the organization? My research area is the development of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies, as well as the development and use of online virtual environments. So I've been involved with virtual worlds for years.
When did you first hear about the Metaverse? It's often mentioned in the media that the word comes from Neil Stevenson's novel Snow Crash. I read the book about seven years ago - and I think that was the first time I came across it. But the term "metaverse" has been floating around the industry for quite a while.
«Das Metaverse ist das Internet.»
And what is the final building block for the Metaverse? The final building block is the combination of spatial computing and game engines. The two tools allow us to build immersive virtual worlds. In other words, environments that we visit as avatars, that look like video games, and that we can experience in three dimensions.
«Geschlossene Plattformen können sich anpassen und schädliche Inhalte schnell entfernen, aber gleichzeitig besteht ein grosses Risiko des Überwachungskapitalismus.»
That's good advice. Thanks a lot for the interview, Aaron.
«I want it all! The terrifying lows, the dizzying highs, the creamy middles!» – these words spoken by an iconic American TV celebrity could have been mine. It's a take on life I also apply to my job. What does this mean in concrete terms? That every story has its charm; no matter how small, large, exciting or trivial. The more eclectic the mix, the better.
Background information
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What's the most common misconception about the metaverse? Mainstream coverage of the metaverse is spotty. Often, the Metaverse is described in one sentence and readers are assumed to understand the background. But behind the term is a whole bundle of concepts that have been laced together for convenience and given the label "metaverse." The biggest misunderstanding is when the plural is used. It's a clear red flag when "metaverse" is mentioned - it tells me that the person is new to the field. Because there are no multiple "metaverses."
What do people imagine when they talk about multiple "metaverses"? Then they basically describe online virtual worlds like Roblox, Minecraft, or Fortnite - and refer to them as different "metaverses." That's wrong.
Okay, so what's your definition of the metaverse? The metaverse is the internet. But it is an Internet that has undergone a variety of changes. It is based on the idea of spatial computing and game engines, which are used to create a collection of online virtual environments. In short, the Metaverse is the Internet, but it is a three-dimensional virtual world based on game engines that we experience online as avatars. That's not a complete definition, but I want to keep it accessible in that context.
That is, currently there is no metaverse at all. Why is everyone talking about it? I'm surprised at how quickly it's become a mainstream phenomenon. That because the underlying technologies are not really ready for mainstream use. It's a bit like when we see a rock-hard avocado in the supermarket. We get excited and can't wait to eat it at home. But we have to be patient and let the avocado ripen - it's not ready yet. It's the same with many of the underlying technologies. That's true for hardware, such as VR headsets, as well as networking technologies - low latency and bandwidth capacity. We need much more computing power to realize the vision of the Metaverse and to solve the optical challenges of VR and AR glasses.
So the finished Metaverse is still a thing of the future - but I'm still interested in the individual building blocks. What exactly do you mean by spatial computing? It's an industry term for AR and VR technologies - plus there are other terms like "mixed reality" or "immersive computing" floating around in conjunction. All of these technologies essentially want to use three-dimensional space to operate a computer. Today, we are so used to the mouse and keyboard as computer interfaces that we take them for granted. Yet they are not particularly intuitive. In fact, we first have to learn to use the mouse and keyboard. But we are three-dimensional beings, we live in three-dimensional space. That's why spatial computing makes sense.
And what role do game engines play in the metaverse? They will be a central part of the Metaverse. It's a software tool that developers use to create virtual environments like Roblox or Fortnite today. They will be a big part of the technological infrastructure in the future. We're not just talking about video games in the sense of a leisure activity, but any kind of simulation. In our professional lives, too, we will gain much more experience delivered through game engines - for example, as industrial designers who design new cars or buildings using game engines.
How is the virtual economy - and without going deeper into it, buzzwords like blockchain, NFTs - related to the metaverse? Here, it's first important to understand that there are two clearly different design ideologies that involve either closed or open platforms. By closed, I mean centralized platforms like Meta, Roblox, Fortnite, or Second Life. These are centrally managed enterprises. They set terms for their users and have to monitor and enforce them. And probably the hottest question in this space is: Are we going to move to a world where we have closed platform versions of virtual worlds like this?
What would be the other option? Contrast this with the open vision of the Metaverse. This is built on so-called Web3 protocols - Web3 is another buzzword that contains a collection of concepts. It builds on the principles of public blockchains and relies on decentralized governance. Open platforms are thus built on the public blockchain. The best-known example of public blockchains is the Ethereum blockchain, on which many metaverse-inspired experiences like Decentraland are based. A virtual world where every parcel of land is authenticated by the Ethereum blockchain. If you own a piece of land there, it's yours. There's no central government agency that can come in and take that land away from you. They can't tell you what to do with it. From an ideological point of view, that's really interesting. Decentraland also works on the basis of its own in-game currency, called "mana". You can also buy this currency. In this example, there is no central bank or organization that can print mana. It's all crowd management, whereas Second Life is a closed platform centrally managed by "Linden Lab", the publisher.
Why is the distinction between open and closed platforms important? The distinction between these design ideologies is central. Because NFTs are only relevant to the open vision of a metaverse. Basically, it comes down to this: will there be an open, interoperable metaverse where I can take my identity and inventory, my virtual objects, from one experience to the next (via NFTs)? Or will we have a world where we have closed platforms like Facebook or Second Life? My sense is that we will probably have a mix of both.
So is the open metaverse better? I want to make it clear that I don't favor either approach. There are pros and cons to both. Some days I'm all for these kinds of decentralized Web3 protocols. Other days I am appalled by their lack of content moderation and consumer protection. Closed platforms can adapt and remove harmful content quickly, but at the same time there is a great risk of surveillance capitalism. There is the possibility of tracking user behavior and selling that data. There are tradeoffs in both versions of the virtual economy.
Can you tell us how we will use the metaverse in the future? It's hard to say. There's a kind of generational shift happening right now. Because today's kids are growing up with online virtual environments. Previous generations still met at the skate park or in a friend's basement. The 16-year-old son of a friend spends most of his free time with buddies on Roblox, Minecraft or Fortnite. Virtual environments have basically become social spaces. And that's the most helpful way to think about all these technologies: they are communication tools - new ways to connect with people. The most important part of these online virtual spaces is having other people and friends there. That's why my parents - who are grandparents - acquired an iPad. They wanted to be able to network with their grandchildren. This experience was so important to them that it broadened their understanding of technology. They don't care about the iPad. They care about being able to FaceTime with their grandchildren who live on the other side of the country. So if the technologies are going to be good enough, I can imagine a world where my parents put on AR glasses and their grandchildren sit across from them as holograms in real time.
Finally, can you tell me when the avocado will "be edible" - when the Metaverse will come? It will be an important sign whenever Apple releases what they are working on. It's a poorly kept secret that Apple is working hard on a spatial computing device that will likely be connected to a platform. They seem to be focusing more on the interface aspect of it. At least Apple has publicly stated that their goal is not to create an all-encompassing immersive environment where you spend all your time, unlike Meta and Mark Zuckerberg. Apple is trying to create a platform that will be useful for very specific tasks.
How long will that take? To create more acceptance for the new technology, we first need better hardware and better interfaces. I don't think our grandparents will be picking up Xbox controllers to talk to their grandchildren on the phone. We need a world where you can put on a pair of glasses and easily operate the computing environment with your hands. When will the avocado be ripe? I think we're still years away from that. I don't know exactly how many - but years.
What is your direct advice for those who want to get familiar with the Metaverse? I always recommend to a business audience to just forget about the word metaverse. The word is not helpful. Instead, it makes more sense to focus on the key ingredients. Spatial computing, game engines, virtual worlds - can any of these technologies perhaps solve a business challenge? Regular average people who want to better understand the metaverse, however, don't need to study or read about blockchain. I simply encourage them to seek out online experiences with avatars and play around there a bit. For example, at Decentraland. Or: ask kids - I learned the most about the Metaverse from my eight-year-old nephew, who loves Roblox.
