Filed under: Trends by Digado

This scenario is based on the dominance of software. The posibilitys the facilitators of the metaverses offer will be key to the success of one, universal metaverse. The timeline is based on what is about to happen in the next 5-15 yeas (as are most of my scenario’s). The key elements are merging 2d web into 3d web seamlessly, connecting existing worlds, and the 3d platform standard.

2008

More virtual worlds are created, drawing in niches and small groups of 100.000-1.000.000 users each.

Virtual world populairty stabilizes. New worlds mostly draw members from other worlds rather then refreshing the userbase. There are a large number of users but scattered over several games, metaverses and mirrorworlds.

2009-2012

The breakthrough. IBM releases 3dx or ‘3d codex’, the standard scripting language for 3d environments.

Along with 3dx they launch Vortex, a 2d and 3d application that creates portals to all worlds using 3dx, and the most popular other worlds (using XML)

3dx is able to render content both in 2d as in 3d. Much like XML/HTML can be rendered with different lay outs trough CSS.

Vortex provides the option to create 1 avatar for all worlds, or multiple avatars and manange them individually. It has a currency exchange and converts ‘game points’ from one gaming system ot the other.

The community can now code 3dx applications with the open source standards, create working, meaningfull mash ups which add function to exisitng 3d environments

2013 -2016

Most existing virtual worlds join the 3dx standard and populairty of the individual worlds grows again. Combined through Vortex it creates a platform with 180.000.000 users, 40% from Asia.

Up to speed 3d hardware is available in nearly every home in the western world, Asia is not far behind.

Microsoft, Google, w3s, Mozilla and other major software/hardware/application providers adopt the 3dx as the virtual world standard

Microsoft releases IE9, and mozilla Firefox 4.0, now supporting 3d interfaces through 3dx, and replacing Vortex as the standard ‘portal’ with rich, content filter based applications provided by companies such Google.

With the new, easy access 3d sites through the reliable and comfortable interface of your browser the masses flood in and join the 180.000.000 users already in the virtual worlds.

2017 - 2020

Storytelling is the new marketing. It reaches out to such numbers it has become the main stream of information (and advertising). Companies now provide the entertainment and most of the content through their ‘scapes‘, servers with 3d worlds, interconnected over the wold wide web (the metaverse + 2d web). Much like now, but wit the option to ‘wander’ the metaverse through software (new generation browsers) that connect the different scapes.

The scapes are the new websites, much like the internet now, everyone joins in and creating their own scapes as virtual homes, offices, blogs, expression of self, social networks, all in one.

Companies like Linden Labs use the standards to provide applications such as game engines, Artificial intelligence, or other ‘cross-scape’ software.

Posted on: December 14, 2007 | Share on: