One of the key ideas of what is needed for the metaverse to emerge is an idea called interoperability. Interoperability is the idea that you can move something from one system to another. In meatspace, or the physical world, your shoes are interoperable because they can go from room to room without having to take them off and put on another version of that shoe. In the same way, digital assets can be interoperable by using the same sword in two different games built by different game developers. The metaverse requires interoperability because the metaverse is the interconnection of virtual worlds - interoperability is what makes the interconnection.
The metaverse is the interconnection of virtual worlds that combine to create a digital version of real life. People will work and play in the metaverse in the same way that one works and plays in the real world. Many will experience the metaverse with XR headsets, but many will continue on virtual screens like phones and computers, and some will experience it with a combination of XR and traditional computers. In the same way remote work is now normalized, working completely in the metaverse to support your family will be normal.
Web3 is an upcoming phase of the internet where people are finally able to own virtual assets. For example, you “own” your Facebook account, right? Well, not really. Facebook allows you to rent the ability to use their servers, but you don’t really own any of your photos or videos. Your account could be terminated if Facebook wanted to and they could do it without your permission - that’s not ownership. In contrast, with Web3 you would own your account and the data that goes along with it. There’s something called blockchains which are transparent databases that show ownership of virtual assets. In a web3 version of a Facebook account, you could take your followers, photos and videos to a different social media if you want. That ability to transfer your Facebook profile to X or to Pinterest without losing followers or pictures is what interoperability is.
To add some color to “Web3 is the seed of the metaverse” claim, it’d like to give a few examples:
The metaverse needs a virtual identity that can transfer between applications. This already exists with web3 and your ENS (Ethereum Name Service) address. An ENS address is just like your Google account in that you can use it to log into websites without a password - you just use your Google account to connect. In the same way, in web3 you connect to websites, social media, and games with your ENS address. Mine, for example, is chasesommer.eth and acts as my web3 username. The difference between a Google account and my ENS address is that I own it. No one can take away my account, but Google can take away your account.
The metaverse needs to be able to transfer objects from one application to another even though the applications are not related. This already exists in web3 in the form of NFTs. NFTs are simply distinct virtual assets. NFTs go wherever your web3 account goes. No one can take away your NFTs. So, if you own a NFT, it will show up in every web3 application that you use.
The metaverse needs persistent worlds that no one owns. Although this one is not quite here yet, there are web3 versions of this emerging from ethereum research teams. Specifically, 0xPARC has written about the idea of Autonomous Worlds and there is a company named Lattice that is building autonomous worlds as we speak. You might argue that Roblox, Minecraft, and Fortnite are building the metaverse, and I’m not doubting that they’re trying, but they are building worlds that they own, not publicly available worlds that have no singular owner. Because there is one owner, and that the owner is a for-profit company, we would call this a top-down approach. We don’t want our future virtual world to be owned by one company, we want it public and decentralized (again, more web3 concepts). For a clearer comparison of top-down virtual worlds vs the metaverse, see Eddy’s awesome article here.
Web3 is the seed of the metaverse - they are not different things.
