For a long time now, we have actually been hearing several tech CEOs like Satya Nadella as well as Mark Zuckerberg talk about the metaverse being the future of the internet. However, there is still a lot of confusion amongst people as to what it really is. Is it a video game? It’s hard to say really!
While the term has been seen floating around over the past few years, the word metaverse was actually coined by author Neal Stephenson in his 1992 sci-fi novel Snow Crash. In his book, Stephenson referred to the metaverse as an all-encompassing digital world that exists parallel to the real world. However, in 2022, experts are still seen to not be very sure of whether the metaverse in real life could manage to evolve into something similar to what was depicted.
In simpler words, Metaverse is an augmented reality platform that allows users to create interactive experiences that merge the digital world with the physical world. Furthermore, The metaverse is essentially a concept or idea of cyberspace made real. This virtual 3D world is immersive, interactive, and collaborative, shaped by the technology to access it.
It is all based on the concept of broadly transporting our physical-world experiences into mixed reality, virtual reality, and eventually augmented reality. The ultimate focus is to develop decentralized, fully interoperable, and immersive digital communities.
To sum up what the metaverse really is and for you to have much better clarity on the same, let me tell you that, some of the major characteristics of the Metaverse include that it is Boundless and has few restrictions, it is persistent which means that it cannot actually be rebooted, disconnected or even be reset, it is a decentralized virtual world, immersive virtual reality, has a virtual economy and provides users with social experiences to name a few of course.
Now that you have a brief understanding of what Metaverse really is, I believe you would have a much better understanding of what we have with us next, i.e Decentraland Metaverse, and how to access it?
Decentraland Metaverse
Decentraland Metaverse is nothing but a virtual reality platform that is powered by the popular Ethereum blockchain and was founded by Esteban Ordano along with Ariel Meilich. The platform is known to allow its users to create, experience as well as monetize applications and content.
Not just that, Decentraland is known to primarily focus on incentivizing a global network of users in order to operate a shared virtual world. In this virtual world, users have the ability to purchase plots of land that they would be able to build upon, investigate as well as monetize. Also, Decentraland was initially introduced as an experimental grid that often allocated pixels to users on the platform, based on the Proof of Work (PoW) mining.
Before moving on any further, it is worth noting that MANA is the native utility token of the platform, which can indeed be used for numerous purposes on the platform itself. Being an ERC-20 token, MANA has to be burnt in order to acquire non-fungible ERC-721 LAND tokens on the platform. Other than this, MANA tokens are also capable of being used to pay for various avatars, wearables as well as names, to name a few of courses.
Not to mention, apart from buying and selling virtual real estate, while interacting, exploring as well as playing games in this virtual world, users have really been able to take advantage of the implementation of interactive apps, peer-to-peer communication, and in-world payments, that have all evolved over the years. Also, you should be aware of the fact that there are two different types of tokens that are known to govern operations in Decentraland, namely LAND and MANA.
For some of you wondering what they are? Allow me a chance to explain. LAND is nothing but a non-fungible token(NFT), which is often used to define the so-called ownership of land parcels representing the virtual real estate. On the other hand, as discussed, MANA is a cryptocurrency that is said to facilitate the purchase of LAND and virtual goods and services that are used in Decentraland.
In addition to this, on Decentraland, there is no limit in respect to what you can do, it being the very first platform to be completely owned by its users. Talking more about LAND, in Decentraland, LAND basically refers to any spaces that you interact with. These are non-fungible virtual assets that you as users purchase in the game itself. Once you have successfully purchased a plot of LAND, you are then free to do whatever you choose to with it.
For instance, you can create gambling services, games, applications as well as dynamic 3D scenes and though it is not its primary purpose, you can even create LAND-based services with respect to professional development, education, and tourism along with many more. However, it is worth noting that, the number of LAND is capped on the platform and each plot of LAND is about 33 feet by 33 feet, but as a matter of fact, there is no limit to its height.
Moving on, let’s talk in brief about the working of Decentraland. The platform is said to have no central authority and as a matter of fact, the entire virtual reality ecosystem is governed and operated by users on Decentraland. The world operates as an alternative VR ecosystem, which allows users to purchase and sell their virtual property and real estate, play games as well as use their plot of land for absolutely anything they like as long as the features on the network allow it.
Having said that, as mentioned, Decentraland has become one of the most prominent blockchain-based metaverse projects and has managed to stay at number 1 in the rankings with respect to the metaverse projects as per the total market cap.
As we heard, being so popular, the said platform has been growing rapidly, with a lot of well-known brands rushing to this metaverse to book a LAND. For reference, Samsung, the global tech giant, is known to be one such brand that has opened its office in Decentraland Metaverse.
On a similar note, if you are planning on entering, Genesis Plaza is a rather buzzing place in the metaverse and you can simply visit this place and hang out and interact with other users, socialize on the platform, isn’t it cool? All in all, everything you can think of and is available in the real world, you can find that in the Decentraland Metaverse, whether it be rapid transportation, shops, theatres, malls or skyscrapers.
Talking about how to actually access the Decentraland Metaverse, all you need to have is a supported browser and proper internet connection. Let’s get started with the steps, shall we?
Step 1:
Launch your web browser and open Decentraland’s official website.
Step 2:
Click on ‘Get Started’, once you see a colorful screen welcoming you to Decentraland.
Step 3:
Once you click on get started, you will be asked whether or not you would like to access the Decentraland metaverse in your browser or prefer to download a dedicated application. Also, If you just want to explore, Click on ‘Explore on Web’.
Step 4:
Once this is done, you will be asked if you want to explore the metaverse as a guest or if you want to connect your blockchain wallet to get all your progress saved in the blockchain. If you choose to play as a guest, all your progress will be saved locally, and deletion of the local file will lead to a permanent loss of progress. However, If you simply want to check out the Decentraland Metaverse, choose this!
Step 5:
Once you proceed with signing in, you need to choose your digital ‘Avatar‘, a graphic illustration of your character. This is highly customizable and you can select everything from your hair color to your dress and more.
Step 6:
Once you have crafted the avatar, click on ‘Done‘, and you are ready to experience the immersive virtual world of Decentraland.
Step 7:
On the next screen, you will be inside the Decentraland metaverse. A virtual assistant will help you understand basic control and ways to interact and explore this metaverse.
So, in a nutshell, what we have discussed in this entire article is basically, that Decentraland is one of the better-known environments for Metaverse enthusiasts today. As we know, this decentralized virtual world has managed to rapidly capture the attention of all kinds of users. Moreover, within decentralized, you can build, buy as well as sell artwork, virtual real estate as well as NFTs.
Individuals can easily access the metaverse by creating their very own avatar on the platform, a 3D virtual world browser-based platform. This is one of the finest and simplest ways to obtain entrance to the metaverse. Decentraland also allows anyone who wishes to build their avatar to do so on their website.
Moreover, Users should be well aware that in order to get total access to the Decentraland metaverse, they must have a meta mask extension browser installed on their devices. When you link it, you will receive access to the metaverse realm and will be able to buy land if you so choose.
Reading so far, I believe that, you now have gotten a fair insight into the whole idea behind Decentraland Metaverse and how can you access it. Also, I believe you will now be able to decide on your own whether or not you feel like giving it a try!
In conclusion, what are your thoughts on the Decentraland Metaverse? Do let us know in the comments area below. To know more about such reports, do check out other articles we have on our website. Thank you for your time & if you found our content informative, do share it with your investor friends!
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