So there you are, relaxing in your newly acquired home on your freshly purchased land, maybe enjoying a good movie or book on tape, when suddenly you hear a knock at the door. You calmly take off your VR headset, hurriedly run to the door and accept the new goodie you bought while online, toss it in the pile of “to be opened” and run back to your perch and re-immerse yourself in the virtual world you so crave. This reality, albeit virtual, is the new craze on the Blockchain. Complete computer generated worlds, created to make a decentralized forum, where people can purchase their own land and buy their own storefronts. One could travel from one end of the “world” to the other in search of the perfect commodity, or just to see what lies beyond the next hill. The Blockchain and its smart contracts applied to an ecosystem designed to accommodate every want and need. Well, it’s here (almost), and the companies driving this powerhouse of an idea are Decentraland (MANA) and Vibe (VIBE).
Decentraland (MANA)
The name of the place where your future self will be spending unreal amounts of time is called Genesis City. Here, you can go watch a live band, go to the zoo, or even go snorkeling. Pretty much anything that you can imagine is going to be in “The City”. With amazing amounts of support from the crypto currency community, the first land purchases were a success, selling over 70 thousand parcels of land. With this land being yours, and all, every asset accrued on said parcel, is yours to keep. Have you ever wanted to sell all your junk sitting around the house but didn’t want to list it on Ebay? In “The City” you can set up your own flea market and people can virtually walk through and peruse your wares. Worried about someone stealing your land? Impossible, an unforgeable record of ownership is kept through the Ethereum blockchain. With solid management and a competent advisory board, Decentraland (MANA) has been able to gain the partnerships of Aragon and imToken, to name a couple. While following their roadmap on the way to full VR immersion, Genesis City is currently in the Iron Age. Adding the ability to use avatars chat with live people and scripting on the land owned. The Silcon Age is next, a full-fledged 3D world that adheres to the laws of physics.
Vibe (VIBE)
The ability to capture holographic data to project into 3D worlds is where Vibe (VIBE) comes into this equation. With full blockchain technology at its forefront, content creators can keep ownership of their work, while distributing it to the masses. This platform also aims to be an online marketplace used to sell art and even to go on virtual dates. Is KISS playing a concert in Sydney, Australia? With the help of Vibe, a ticket can be bought to attend these types of shows and fully immerse yourself in the concert experience without having to travel around the world to do it. Education will also benefit from virtual lectures, not requiring students to attend in person, and tuition fees can be collected using Vibecoin. The most exciting news out of the Vibe camp is the partnerships with some very major players in the gaming industry. With names like, Samsung Gear VR, PlayStation 4, and Microsoft Hololens this project seems poised to make moves.
Conclusion
If you watched “Westworld”, on HBO, the possibilities are endless as to what can happen in a fully immersive VR world. Some bad, some good. As futuristic as riding a horse through the untouched fields of an imaginary land sounds, the future is not very far away. Applying modern virtual reality advancements to the blockchain is happening right now. The technology has solid backers, and a lot of faith from the community, to produce a working virtual world where imagination has no limit and the security of virtual assets is assured. So buy a piece of Genesis City and sit back and watch it grow.
Resources:
https://www.vibehub.io/
https://decentraland.org/