Understand the coming metaverse—and discover how to look past the hype and harness the future of technology. Metaversed is an insightful discussion and analysis of the next, rapidly approaching technological revolution. The authors deliver a compelling new exploration of how the metaverse and emerging technologies combine to define our collective future. In addition to identifying the business opportunities, the book pulls back the curtain on major safety and privacy issues that will arise and the expected shifts in both our private and social spheres. In the book, you'll understand: How multiple industries will be changed and challenged in a 3D spatial world and how to navigate the future crypto-ladden business landscape; Legal and policy considerations necessary to build and maintain safe, shared digital spaces The economic and social impacts, including the potential for our digital lives to outlive our physical selves Actionable insights, so you can make the most out of the next digital revolution Metaversed is a can't-miss presentation of the most significant market opportunities and societal challenges posed by the metaverse. It also will empower readers to take positive action that avoids the same online mistakes that happened on social media and create more responsible tech usage habits in our personal and professional lives.

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER — United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and China (Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Nielsen Bookscan, Publishers Weekly, USA Today, Toronto Star, Globe & Mail, BookNet Canada, Bookseller.com, Bookdao/Nielsen, JD, DangDang) Tim Sweeney (CEO of Fortnite-maker Epic Games): “Matthew Ball’s essays have defined, analyzed, and inspired the Metaverse for years. His book is an approachable and essential guide to the strategic, technical, and philosophical foundations of this new medium.” Derek Thompson (Atlantic staff writer and national best-selling author of Hit Makers): “This book feels like a rare achievement: a definitive statement about an emerging phenomenon that could shape the digital world, the global economy, and the very experience of human consciousness.” From the leading theorist of the Metaverse comes the definitive account of the next internet: what the Metaverse is, what it will take to build it, and what it means for all of us. The term “Metaverse” is suddenly everywhere, from the front pages of national newspapers and the latest fashion trends to the plans of the most powerful companies in history. It is already shaping the policy platforms of the US government, the European Union, and the Chinese Communist Party. But what, exactly, is the Metaverse? As pioneering theorist and venture capitalist Matthew Ball explains, it is a persistent and interconnected network of 3D virtual worlds that will eventually serve as the gateway to most online experiences, and also underpin much of the physical world. For decades, these ideas have been limited to science fiction and video games, but they are now poised to revolutionize every industry and function, from finance and healthcare to education, consumer products, city planning, dating, and well beyond. Taking us on an expansive tour of the “next internet,” Ball demonstrates that many proto-Metaverses are already here, such as Fortnite, Minecraft, and Roblox. Yet these offer only a glimpse of what is to come. Ball presents a comprehensive definition of the Metaverse before explaining the technologies that will power it—and the breakthroughs that will be necessary to fully realize it. He addresses the governance challenges the Metaverse entails; investigates the role of Web3, blockchains, and NFTs; and predicts Metaverse winners and losers. Most importantly, he examines many of the Metaverse’s almost unlimited applications. The internet will no longer be at arm’s length; instead, it will surround us, with much of our lives, labor, and leisure taking place inside the Metaverse. Bringing clarity and authority to a frequently misunderstood concept, Ball foresees trillions of dollars in new value—and the radical reshaping of society.

An up-close account from the world’s first metaverse-embedded reporter In Making a Metaverse That Matters: From Snow Crash & Second Life to A Virtual World Worth Fighting For, the celebrated author of The Making of Second Life and Game Design Secrets, Wagner James Au, delivers an engrossing exploration of how nascent metaverse platforms have already captured the imagination of millions. Featuring powerful stories and dozens of incisive interviews with insiders including Metaverse creator Neal Stephenson himself, the author uses his unique, grassroots-level perspective as the first reporter embedded in a metaverse platform. Readers will learn about: How to understand and define the Metaverse and cut through the many myths and misconceptions around it. A behind-the-scenes account of launching Second Life, the first metaverse platform to achieve mainstream awareness, and what its many controversies teach us. Where current platforms Meta, Roblox, Fortnite, VRChat, and Lamina1, Neal Stephenson’s own metaverse startup, fit in the ecosystem. How to address the many dangers inherent in the Metaverse before it becomes central to the Internet. Perfect for XR industry members and indie creatives, Making a Metaverse That Matters is also for tech professionals, virtual world communities, and anyone interested in the future of culture and commerce.

THE 30th ANNIVERSARY EDITION WITH NEW, NEVER-BEFORE-PUBLISHED MATERIAL After the Internet, what came next? Enter the Metaverse - cyberspace home to avatars and software daemons, where anything and just about everything goes. Newly available on the Street - the Metaverse's main drag - is Snow Crash. A cyberdrug that reduces avatars in the digital world to dust, but also infects users in real life, leaving them in a vegetative state. This is bad news for Hiro, a freelance hacker and the Metaverse's best swordfighter, and mouthy skateboard courier Y. T.. Together, investigating the Infocalypse, they trace back the roots of language itself to an ancient Sumerian priesthood and find they must race to stop a shadowy virtual villain hell-bent on world domination. In this special edition of the remarkably prescient modern classic, Neal Stephenson explores linguistics, computer science, politics and philosophy in the form of a break-neck adventure into the fast-approaching yet eerily recognizable future. 'Fast-forward free-style mall mythology for the twenty-first century' William Gibson 'Brilliantly realized' New York Times Book Review 'Like a Pynchon novel with the brakes removed' Washington Post 'A remarkably prescient vision of today's tech landscape' Vanity Fair

Discussing a better way to understand metaverses, this book explores the possibilities of new social organization through the use of avatars in virtual worlds. The book examines platforms such as Web 3D, metaverse, MDV3D, ECODI, hybrid living and sharing spaces, gamification, alternate reality, mingled reality, and augmented reality to evaluate the possibilities for their implementation in education.

Extending traditional digital platforms to the new frontier of extended reality (XR) requires taking into account what best practices, new concepts, and conventions have been established and what learnings can be brought forward from case studies involving industry leaders. By looking at practical examples from the field of handheld AR breakthroughs, virtual reality (VR) success stories and experimental interaction concept of pioneering XR platforms, you'll see how it's possible to map out a framework of user experience (UX) guidelines to close in on opportunities and challenges that lay ahead. This book defines, identifies, and analyzes UX practices for XR environments and reviews the techniques and tools for prototyping and designing XR user interactions. You'll approach the design for experiential state and spatial cognition, using established UX key performance indicators, while taking into account the social dynamics, emotional framework and wider industry context. UX design and strategy for the XR space is a new frontier, so UX for XR focuses on case studies and industry research to illustrate the relationship between UX design and the growth of immersive technologies. Practical examples will demonstrate how you should apply UX design principles using designing interactions in XR by identifying the importance of spaces, senses and storyboarding. What You'll Learn Explore the challenges and opportunities of designing for XR See how spatial interaction is revolutionizing human computer interaction Examine sensory input and interaction beyond the screen Work with 3D Interaction Design and build a strong 3D UX Understand VR and augmented reality essentials for emotion-rich user experiences Apply UX research techniques for the XR space Who This Book Is For This book is primarily for UX designers, consultants, and strategists; XR developers; and media professionals