I have been hearing the word “metaverse” a lot lately. Some of us have heard it in superhero movies or sci-fi talk. While I say this, there are always those “pro kids” winking proudly, because they’ve already Googled it and know all the buzz. So I thought, why not solve this mystery of the metaverse in my mind and perhaps make it easy for those who are also entangled in this universe with the metaverse.

A lot of us think the word “metaverse” came from Marvel or DC movies. And to me also, it really does sound like it belongs in those superhero worlds. Upon researching, I came to know that it was actually used first in a 1992 sci-fi novel called Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. The writer explained the word as a virtual world where people lived and worked through avatars. And quite surprisingly, today, tech giants like Meta (Facebook), Microsoft and even games like Roblox and Fortnite are already trying to bring that old sci-fi idea into reality. That’s why we keep hearing the word everywhere these days, not just in movies but in real life too.

So, what is it really?

Most of us are already familiar with VR (virtual reality) headsets. Some of you might even own one. For those who don’t know much, a VR set includes a headset with lenses and tiny screens inside, motion sensors and controllers for your hands. Together, these let you enter a computer-generated world. This system with sensors tracks your head and hand movements as you look around, move and interact with objects inside the digital space. Sometimes, you........

© Dawn Young Magazine