Metaverse
Welcome to the metaverse, the supposed workplace of the future. I should be able to be whoever I want here and transport myself to any place without leaving reality. At least that’s the promise that I, as a digital entertainer and iPad magician, take up in my show lecture on the metaverse. A new evolutionary stage of the Internet that not only provides us with information, but also draws us right into it. But if you ask me, I remain skeptical. As a place for virtual or extended work scenarios, it may have its appeal, as I regularly demonstrate at events, conferences and other corporate events. But for me, the term metaverse seems more like a marketing construct that mainly inspires those who already enjoy gaming worlds. And yet I think it’s important to take the idea seriously, because if the individual technologies really do combine, it could create a space that changes the way we work and learn in the long term.
Between vision and reality
According to the official interpretation, Metaversum is not a single product, but a network of persistent, synchronized 3D worlds that are rendered in real time. Users move through these spaces with a strong sense of presence; their identity, contacts, objects and possessions should move seamlessly with them. Interoperability and continuity, i.e. the ability to move data such as avatars, rights or payments between different environments, are crucial. This definition, as outlined by industry thought leaders and others, emphasizes a massively scaled system that is not owned by one provider but is connected via open interfaces. In practice, this means many interacting technologies – from XR headsets and game engines such as Unity or Unreal to cloud computing and 5G networks.
Serious analyses describe the metaverse as a further development of today’s internet, into which you immerse yourself instead of just looking at it, but at the same time point out that a complete, device-independent, open system does not yet exist. Accordingly, in addition to social and playful places, industrial fields of application are emerging, such as digital twins of factories and cities, training in simulated environments or collaborative design workflows. If you want to take responsibility as a company here, you have to think about data protection, security, moderation and inclusion from the outset, because the more immersive the technology, the more direct the contact with our senses – an idea that I particularly emphasize in my presentation on the metaverse. In my opinion, this is where the real magic lies.
How I make the topic of metaverse tangible in my digital show
Without artificial intelligence, the metaverse would remain just an empty backdrop. It is only through AI that avatars can appear credible, languages can be translated in real time and entire environments can be adapted to individual needs. The common standards will decide whether isolated solutions become an ecosystem. At the same time, analysts are urging sobriety. The hype promises a lot, but implementation is lagging behind. It is worthwhile for companies to start with clear pilots that bring about real improvement – such as training courses that train safely in risky situations or distributed teams working on a joint prototype. This is less glamorous than the grand vision, but it protects against disappointment and creates empirical knowledge.
For precisely this reason, I still wanted to bring the topic of metaverse onto the stage. These days, huge LED walls often hang behind her. I use them to open a prepared video window into a seemingly limitless world. I put on a headset and supposedly enter the metaverse – a moment that regularly causes amazement during my presentation. The audience sees everything in large format. An elaborately produced movie picks up speed, full of little jokes, but also with serious explanations. My job is to use mind-reading to find the place in virtual Berlin that a viewer is thinking about. I remain physically on stage, but in the picture I navigate through streets, squares and rooftops, while colleagues from other time zones join in, sometimes lifelike, sometimes as avatar figures. We talk to each other, we move around and act as if we are working on the task together. In the end, I’m standing in the exact place I was meant to be. Amazement, applause and a few more insights into a technological vision.
Only what has meaning between people deserves to become the next level of the internet – and that’s exactly what my talk on the metaverse is about, which you can book as part of my show as an iPad magician for your event. You can find more information about the entire program here.
Excerpts from the video that is shown on a screen behind me during my show presentation and explains the basic idea of the Metaverse in an entertaining and magical way.
