To this end, Microsoft recently acquired the video game giant Activision Blizzard forUS$68.7 billion.
Neal Stephensoncoined the term in 1992, in his novelSnow Crashto designate a dystopian virtual urban environment.
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Stephensons metaverse is depicted as a very long boulevard generated by powerful computers.
Virtual urban environments: grab your helmet!
Lets start by tackling social activities.
Its already possible to visitseveral museums virtually.
Although the experiences are virtual, their costs in terms ofmoney,energy,andenvironment are real and increasing.
Will funding come from budgets previously allocated to urban spaces and infrastructures?
Will our governments followSaudi ArabiasorSouth Koreasexample and start investing ininfrastructureandplots of landwithin these novel virtual cities?
Microsoft already offers a vision of this futuristic sporting experience with an augmented reality helmet called theHoloLens.
Severalcompaniesbelieve so, includingSamsungandNike, which have launched retail spaces in the metaverse.
And the Ralph Lauren clothing company launched adigital collectionin the Roblox immersive world in December.
Scotts concert, shown on the video game platform Fortnite in 2020, attracted more than12.3 million guests.
Physical activities are also increasingly being carried out virtually.
Theirpopularity has soaredto 5.9 million users in 2021 from 1.9 million users in 2019.
Many urban spaces, infrastructures and developments will have to be reviewed and even reimagined.
This process can take many forms.
If we do not start asking these questions soon, Silicon Valley will be happy to provide the answers.
Theres little to prevent Stephensons dystopian metaverse world from becoming reality.
