The metaverse, a term that conjures images of boundless digital landscapes and immersive virtual experiences, stands at the threshold of becoming a mainstream reality. Many have aimed to dismantle barriers to create an environment where anyone can step into the metaverse with ease.
Yet, its journey from a niche fascination to a global platform accessible to all has encountered significant obstacles.
Lowering Entry Barriers With a Vibrant Community
The metaverse’s initial promise captivated imaginations worldwide, offering a digital frontier with endless possibilities. However, achieving mass adoption has been challenging due to technical limitations and accessibility issues. Overcoming these hurdles is multifaceted because there is a need for technical advancements, community engagement, and interoperability.
Yemel Jardi, Executive Director of the Decentraland Foundation, told BeInCrypto about the company’s strategic adaptations to meet evolving market demands. According to him, Decentraland is focused on performance optimization and developing a new advanced Desktop Client for 2024.
This upgrade supports a wider range of user experiences, from casual exploration to intensive gaming and virtual events. The goal is to reduce entry barriers for new users with a comprehensive effort to foster a more immersive, inclusive, and engaging virtual world.
“We’ve adopted a forward-looking strategy dedicated to enhancing the user experience, optimizing performance, and preparing for VR and mobile versions. We are also simplifying onboarding, user-friendly no-code creator tools, and other new features that will deepen engagement. Moreover, the Desktop Client will handle rendering avatars and complex graphics simultaneously and offering a truly immersive environment,” Jardi explained.
According to Jardi, Decentraland has recognized the shift towards authentic user-generated experiences. Now, it encourages gamified events and interactive storytelling that enhance user engagement and retention.
For instance, the Decentraland Ambassador Program and participation in industry conferences and events are part of the 2024 Manifesto, which reflects the commitment to community growth and active user involvement.
Emerging Technologies and Metaverse Interoperability
Another key focus to enable a more inclusive metaverse is interoperability. Allowing users to export their digital identities to other virtual worlds and supporting a variety of social login options champions a unified, cross-platform metaverse.
Such openness fosters innovation and promotes a seamless user experience across various digital environments.
“We see interoperability as the only real solution for an ethical, entertaining, decentralized, and human-centered future where digital worlds become a part of our life,” Jardi added.
Indeed, Decentraland has created DCL VRMs, which allow users to export their outfits to be used in other metaverses such as Monaverse, Nifty Island, OnCyber, and any virtual world that allows VRM imports. Since VRM is currently the leading model format for VR social applications and games, this initiative fosters collaboration and innovation with open-sourced standards that empower developers and creators across virtual platforms.
“Decentraland’s long-term vision for its role in the metaverse is to establish itself as the largest decentralized and open-source virtual world owned entirely by our users. It aims to provide a platform where users have complete control over their digital assets and experiences. It must be a space where creativity knows no bounds, where users can build, explore, and socialize in a decentralized and borderless virtual environment,” Jardi concluded.
As digital and physical realms increasingly merge, the metaverse offers a vision of interconnected human existence. Indeed, it is seen as the internet’s next evolution and is projected to increase to $936.6 billion by 2030.
Augmented reality, especially with major players like Apple entering the arena, emerges as a pivotal force driving these projections. It will act as a conduit between digital and physical spaces. Subsequently, it will allow users to access information pertinent to their context, engage with virtual elements, and collaborate seamlessly over any distance.