It is interesting to see how much hype Meta is trying to generate using the metaverse. Almost like Meta came up with it and pioneered this concept.
Except that it already existed almost 20 years ago.
In 2003, Linden Lab launched an online platform called Second Life. At that time, most online platforms were MMORPGs, although there were also chat rooms and other platforms that allowed people to gather online for a specific purpose. What made Second Life different was that users could create content, share them, and sell them. They can own pieces of the virtual world, and even rent them out to others. Transactions were made in Linden dollars, or L$, which could be bought using real money.
Second Life had its own currency, and an economy of transactions due to its system of object and land ownership. Users could interact with each other via the chatbox, which has local and global channels, and I believe it allowed you to talk via voice to nearby people too. I myself had been on Second Life for a while, and even today, log in every once in a blue moon just to see how things are like now.
Back then, we gathered to talk about hobbies, and there were even areas where you can play RPGs, much like in a MMORPG. You can customise your avatar's shape, give it a custom skin, and dress it up in different clothes. Skins and clothes can be designed by the user and uploaded to the system, or they can be bought from others. You can sell your designs too. The crafting system also allows you to make objects, like furniture, weapons, even entire buildings.
So when I read about Meta's metaverse, I am not so sure what all that hype is about. I mean, we already had Second Life for almost 20 years. It is still there today.
Link to Second Life
Visit it, create an avatar, roam around. There is no need to be bound to Meta (aka Facebook) for online meetings and interactions.
Update July 21, 2022: Here is a link to an article from MIT Sloan School of Management with a more in-depth look at the metaverse from Second Life and Roblux.
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