Editing Metaverse (section)

== History and implementations ==
[[File:Un enfant portant un casque de réalité virtuelle (Exalto, Villeurbanne).jpg|thumb|Some software platforms require a [[virtual reality headset]] to explore the metaverse.]]
Components of metaverse technology have already been developed within online [[video game]]s.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Orland |first=Kyle |date=November 7, 2021 |title=So what is 'the metaverse', exactly? |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/11/everyone-pitching-the-metaverse-has-a-different-idea-of-what-it-is/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211109041036/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/11/everyone-pitching-the-metaverse-has-a-different-idea-of-what-it-is/ |archive-date=November 9, 2021 |access-date=November 9, 2021 |website=[[Ars Technica]]}}</ref> The 2003 [[virtual world]] platform ''[[Second Life]]'' is often described as the first metaverse,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Tidy |first=Joe |date=November 5, 2021 |title=Zuckerberg's metaverse: Lessons from Second Life |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-59180273 |url-status=live |access-date=November 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211113200715/https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-59180273 |archive-date=November 13, 2021}}</ref><ref name="usatoday-rosedale-interview3">{{cite news|last=Maney|first=Kevin|date=February 4, 2007|title=The king of alter egos is surprisingly humble guy|newspaper=[[USA Today]]|url=https://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20070205/secondlife_cover.art.htm|access-date=February 20, 2007|archive-date=February 18, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070218101947/http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/money/20070205/secondlife_cover.art.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> as it incorporated many aspects of social media into a persistent three-dimensional world with the user represented as an [[Avatar (computing)|avatar]], but historical claims of metaverse development started soon after the term was coined. Early projects included ''[[Active Worlds]]''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Active Worlds for Windows (1995) |url=https://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/active-worlds |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211111080607/https://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/active-worlds |archive-date=November 11, 2021 |access-date=November 3, 2021 |website=MobyGames}}</ref> and ''[[The Palace (computer program)|The Palace]]''.

Popular games described as part of the metaverse include [[Habbo|''Habbo Hotel'']],<ref name=":82" /> ''[[World of Warcraft]]'',<ref>{{cite web |last=Woods |first=Bob |date=May 7, 2022 |title=In Microsoft's Activision deal, it's not just stock prices but a future world at stake |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/07/in-microsofts-activision-deal-a-future-world-is-at-stake.html |work=[[CNBC]] |accessdate=May 8, 2022}}</ref> ''[[Minecraft]]'',<ref name=":82" /> ''[[Fortnite]]'',<ref>{{cite web |last=Webster |first=Andrew |date=March 18, 2021 |title=Fortnite's Experimental Story Is An Attempt To Create 'The Entertainment Experience Of The Future' |url=https://www.theverge.com/22338403/fortnite-story-narrative-interview-donald-mustard-epic-games |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210503145155/https://www.theverge.com/22338403/fortnite-story-narrative-interview-donald-mustard-epic-games |archive-date=May 3, 2021 |access-date=May 3, 2021 |work=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> ''[[VRChat]]'',<ref name=":6" /><ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PHT-zBxKQQ |title=Making Sense of VRChat, the 'Metaverse' People Actually Like |date=May 17, 2022 |last=Smith |first=Quinton |type=Video |publisher=[[People Make Games]] |others=Design and art direction by Anni Sayers |access-date=June 24, 2022 |via=[[YouTube]]}}</ref> and game creation platform ''[[Roblox]]''<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wakefield |first=Jane |date=March 10, 2021 |title=Roblox: How the children's game became a $30bn bet on the Metaverse |work=[[BBC News]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-56345586 |access-date=January 9, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sidhwani |first=Priyansh |date=March 12, 2021 |title=The History Of Roblox : From 2004 Until Now |url=https://techstory.in/the-history-of-roblox-from-2004-until-now/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420215249/https://techstory.in/the-history-of-roblox-from-2004-until-now/ |archive-date=April 20, 2021 |access-date=November 3, 2021 |website=TechStory}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Nike gets ahead of the Metaverse and creates 'Nikeland', its own virtual world on Roblox |url=https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/398619 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211126054401/https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/398619 |archive-date=November 26, 2021 |access-date=November 26, 2021 |website=entrepreneur.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kastrenakes |first=Jacob |date=November 19, 2020 |title=Roblox goes public so that it can build a bigger metaverse |url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/19/21578491/roblox-ipo-announced-dau-increase-pandemic |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211201062700/https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/19/21578491/roblox-ipo-announced-dau-increase-pandemic |archive-date=December 1, 2021 |access-date=December 1, 2021 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> In a January 2022 interview with ''Wired'', Second Life creator [[Philip Rosedale]] described metaverses as a [[three-dimensional space|three-dimensional]] Internet that is populated with live people.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Edelman |first=Gilad |date=January 27, 2022 |title=How to Build a Better Metaverse |url=https://www.wired.com/story/metaverse-philip-rosedale-second-life/ |magazine=Wired |issn=1059-1028 |access-date=January 27, 2022}}</ref> Social interaction and 3D virtual worlds are often an integral feature in many [[massively multiplayer online game]]s.

In 2017, [[Microsoft]] acquired the VR company [[AltspaceVR]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Langston |first=Jennifer |date=March 2, 2021 |title='You can actually feel like you're in the same place': Microsoft Mesh powers shared experiences in mixed reality |url=https://news.microsoft.com/innovation-stories/microsoft-mesh/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211103093804/https://news.microsoft.com/innovation-stories/microsoft-mesh/ |archive-date=November 3, 2021 |access-date=November 3, 2021 |website=Innovation Stories}}</ref> and implemented virtual avatars and meetings held in virtual reality into [[Microsoft Teams]].<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |last=Warren |first=Tom |date=November 2, 2021 |title=Microsoft Teams enters the metaverse race with 3D avatars and immersive meetings |url=https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/2/22758974/microsoft-teams-metaverse-mesh-3d-avatars-meetings-features |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211117090313/https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/2/22758974/microsoft-teams-metaverse-mesh-3d-avatars-meetings-features |archive-date=November 17, 2021 |access-date=November 17, 2021 |website=[[The Verge]]}}</ref> Microsoft shut-down AltspaceVR in March 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last=AltspaceVR |first=Team |date=2023-01-20 |title=AltspaceVR to Sunset the Platform on March 10, 2023 |url=https://altvr.com/sunset/ |access-date=November 23, 2024 |website=AltspaceVR |language=en-US |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230310100938/https://altvr.com/sunset/ |archive-date=March 10, 2023}}</ref> 

In 2019, the social network company Facebook launched a social VR world called ''[[Horizon Worlds|Facebook Horizon]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Constine |first=Josh |date=September 25, 2019 |title=Facebook announces Horizon, a VR massive-multiplayer world |url=https://techcrunch.com/2019/09/25/facebook-horizon/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207063211/https://techcrunch.com/2019/09/25/facebook-horizon/ |archive-date=December 7, 2021 |access-date=November 3, 2021 |website=[[TechCrunch]]}}</ref> In 2021, the company was renamed "[[Meta Platforms]]" and its chairman [[Mark Zuckerberg]]<ref>{{Cite news|last=Roose|first=Kevin|date=October 29, 2021|title=The Metaverse Is Mark Zuckerberg's Escape Hatch|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/29/technology/meta-facebook-zuckerberg.html|access-date=October 30, 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=October 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211030001124/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/29/technology/meta-facebook-zuckerberg.html|url-status=live}} {{subscription required}}</ref> declared a company commitment to developing a metaverse.<ref name="guard">{{Cite news |last=Milmo |first=Dan |date=October 28, 2021 |title=Enter the metaverse: the digital future Mark Zuckerberg is steering us toward |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/oct/28/facebook-mark-zuckerberg-meta-metaverse |access-date=December 13, 2021}}</ref> Many of the virtual reality technologies advertised by Meta Platforms remain to be developed.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Griffin|first1=Andrew|date=October 28, 2021|title=Facebook changes name to 'Meta' as it focuses on metaverse and tries to move on from controversies|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/facebook-meta-name-new-metaverse-b1947245.html|access-date=October 28, 2021|website=The Independent|location=London|archive-date=October 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028183501/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/facebook-meta-name-new-metaverse-b1947245.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Thomas |first=Daniel |date=October 28, 2021 |title=Facebook changes its name to Meta in major rebrand |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-59083601 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028183649/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-59083601 |archive-date=October 28, 2021 |access-date=October 28, 2021 |website=[[BBC News]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Paul|first1=Kari|date=October 28, 2021|title=Facebook announces name change to Meta in rebranding effort|url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/oct/28/facebook-name-change-rebrand-meta|access-date=October 28, 2021|website=The Guardian|location=London|archive-date=October 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028183343/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/oct/28/facebook-name-change-rebrand-meta|url-status=live}}</ref> Facebook whistleblower [[Frances Haugen]] criticised the move, adding that Meta Platforms' continued focus on growth-oriented projects is largely done to the detriment of ensuring safety on their platforms.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hamilton |first=Isobel Asher |date=October 26, 2021 |title=Whistleblower Frances Haugen says Facebook's investment in the 'metaverse' shows how its priorities are all wrong |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-metaverse-frances-haugen-whistleblower-shocked-by-investment-2021-10 |access-date=December 30, 2021 |website=Business Insider}}</ref> Meta Platforms has also faced user safety criticism regarding ''Horizon Worlds'' due to [[sexual harassment]] occurring on the platform.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Stephen |date=December 17, 2021 |title=Meta launched an investigation after a woman said she was groped by a stranger in the metaverse |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/meta-investigated-woman-claims-she-was-groped-in-metas-metaverse-2021-12 |access-date=December 30, 2021 |website=Business Insider}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mahdawi |first=Arwa |date=December 18, 2021 |title=Metaverse is just a new venue for the age-old problem of sexual harassment |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/dec/18/metaverse-new-venue-sexual-harassment-facebook |access-date=December 30, 2021 |website=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sundaravelu |first=Anugraha |date=May 31, 2022 |title=Woman's avatar raped within an hour of signing into the metaverse |url=https://metro.co.uk/2022/05/31/another-womans-avatar-has-been-sexually-assaulted-in-the-metaverse-16737575/ |access-date=June 1, 2022 |website=Metro}}</ref> In 2021, Meta made a loss of over $10&nbsp;billion on its metaverse development department, with Mark Zuckerberg saying he expected operating losses to "increase meaningfully" in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kovach |first=Steve |date=February 2, 2022 |title=Mark Zuckerberg's 'metaverse' business lost more than $10 billion last year, and the losses keep growing |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/02/meta-reality-labs-reports-10-billion-loss.html |access-date=May 13, 2022 |website=[[CNBC]]}}</ref> In February 2023, Zuckerberg wrote a Facebook post announcing the company's pivot away from the metaverse to focus on [[AI]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-07 |title=Meta's "year of efficiency" means job cuts, less metaverse, and more generative AI |url=https://qz.com/meta-layoffs-2023-jobs-metaverse-ai-1850196575 |access-date=2023-03-07 |website=Quartz |language=en}}</ref> 

Some metaverse implementations rely on digital currencies, and often [[cryptocurrency]]. Assets within the metaverse are sometimes traded as [[non-fungible token]]s (NFTs) and track ownership using [[blockchain]] technology.<ref>{{cite web |last=Page |first=Thomas |date=September 23, 2022 |title=Pixel pushers: How the metaverse became real estate's new frontier |url=https://www.cnn.com/style/article/metaverse-real-estate-market-2022-spc-intl/index.html |accessdate=October 2, 2022 |work=[[CNN]]}}</ref>

Proposed applications for metaverse technology include improving work productivity,<ref name=":8" /><ref name=":42">{{Cite web|first=Veronica|last=Combs|date=October 29, 2021|title=The metaverse: What is it?|url=https://www.techrepublic.com/article/metaverse-what-is-it/|access-date=November 1, 2021|website=TechRepublic|archive-date=October 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211031202202/https://www.techrepublic.com/article/metaverse-what-is-it/|url-status=live}}</ref> interactive learning environments,<ref name=":22" /> [[e-commerce]],<ref name=":22" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=May 30, 2022 |title=Despite metaverse buzz, 60% of consumers have zero interest in virtual shopping |url=https://venturebeat.com/2022/05/30/despite-metaverse-buzz-60-of-consumers-have-zero-interest-in-virtual-shopping/ |access-date=June 1, 2022 |website=VentureBeat}}</ref> mass-audience interaction,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Takahashi |first=Dean |date=November 3, 2022 |title=Why Improbable's Herman Narula believes virtual society will foster transhumanism |url=https://venturebeat.com/games/why-improbables-herman-narula-believes-virtual-society-will-lead-us-to-transhumanism/ |access-date=November 8, 2022 |website=VentureBeat |quote=The sleeping giants of the metaverse are massive communities – celebrities are a great example – who don't monetize those communities very well. They can't engage with them very easily. They want a new way of doing that. That is who the metaverse is going to unlock value for.}}</ref> healthcare<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Curtis |first1=Caitlin |last2=Brolan |first2=Claire |date=November 27, 2022 |title=Health care in the metaverse |journal=Medical Journal of Australia |volume=218 |issue=1 |page=46 |doi=10.5694/mja2.51793|pmid=36437589 |s2cid=254042167 |doi-access=free |pmc=10952226 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Wang |last2=Badal |last3=Jia |last4=Maltz |last5=Mueller |last6=Myers |last7=Niu |last8=Vannier |last9=Yan |last10=Yu |last11=Zeng |date=Nov 25, 2022 |title=Development of metaverse for intelligent healthcare |journal=Nature Machine Intelligence |volume=4 |issue=11 |pages=922–929 |doi=10.1038/s42256-022-00549-6|pmid=36935774 |pmc=10015955 |s2cid=253564988 }}</ref> and real estate.<ref name=":22" />