Virtual Worlds Need Virtual Bodies: Digital Avatar in the Metaverse

By now you probably know, at least vaguely, what the Metaverse refers to. A persistent 3D world of 3D worlds interconnected via the internet, verified and established on the blockchain. Interacting on the blockchain means your identity is singular, unique, and unchangeable, except by you. So, in this virtual world, you will, of course, need a virtual body. A digital avatar in the Metaverse that everyone else can recognize as you, whichever world you wish to browse among worlds.

If you are unfamiliar with the term avatar, in the context of the Metaverse, it does not refer to a bald boy with a blue arrow on his forehead, nor does it refer to a tall blue alien – unless you want it to.

An avatar refers to a virtual or digital icon, figure, or depiction of a particular person. Video gamers would be quite familiar with the word, as engaging in a virtual world requires a virtual body.

Many video games make character customization a central part of their game, as it serves to deeply immerse the player in the world they are exploring and interacting within.

Your Virtual Identity

Your digital avatar in the Metaverse serves that exact purpose. When you go to the virtual mall, concert, cinema, arena – activities driven to near extinction by the pandemic – people will want to recognize you.

Gamer tags and profile pictures fulfill this same role on social media sites, but the Metaverse that we are envisioning is a mix of, but we are talking about the Metaverse here, not Reddit or Facebook, and so companies will want to make it as easy and fun as possible to make a digital avatar.

Of course, It wouldn’t count as a metaverse avatar if it was not cross-platform compatible. Herein lies the technical hurdle, but therein also lies the very thing that differentials a metaverse from a multiverse.

Being able to jump from one virtual scene to another, from one virtual workplace, play round, or social space while still maintaining your personal identity is what makes the Metaverse ‘meta.’

The Dressing Rooms of the Metaverse

One platform that understood the assignment, so to speak, is Ready Player Me. Apply named, Ready Player Me is a digital avatar maker that allows you to create digital avatar from photo images, customize your wardrobe, and takes you through the steps of how to create a nft avatar.

Ready Player Me is among numerous apps that aim to help you make your digital avatar Metaverse ready and, so far, the most well established.

There cannot be a Metaverse if only Apple shoes can be seen in Apple meeting rooms, or if you are blond-haired in the Microsoft cinema but an untextured mass of pixels in the Meta playground. These challenges will have to be ironed out over time.

Currently, hardware limitations are shifting the look of the Metaverse toward a more cartoony look with more simplistic low-poly elements. This allows most people witless than advanced rigs and Metaverse gear to take part in the virtual world without melting their PCs or blowing u their headsets.

In the future, however, we can expect companies to push for a greater and greater emersion, but for now, they risk diving into the uncanny valley and driving away already skeptical users.

Summary

In a virtual world, you will require a virtual body. Companies who want to stake their claim on the Metaverse will have to find a way to accommodate any and every digital avatar in the Metaverse, adaptable and unique, if their respective platforms the Metaverse is to live up to its Meta-nature.

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