# The case against an open metaverse By [vencolab](https://paragraph.com/@vencolab) · 2022-06-13 --- Preface: I am a proponent for the metaverse and will continue to actively build and consult within this space. This article is to help highlight the possible negatives directions it could take - and who knows, maybe you are ‘_the one’_ to tackle these challenges. > _You take the blue pill – the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill – you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes._ So you took the red pill - enter the metaverse. ### Limited Virtual Lands The fundamental issue with metaverse platforms is that they rely on scarcity to drive demand and hype. Own one of the limited virtual lands (that now costs a fortune) or you can’t participate in these worlds. So all this creates is another Sydney-like scenario, where wealthy individuals , organizations and early “investors” unwittingly inflate prices driven by hype, FOMO and influencer voodoo. _But Ven, they said the same thing about Bitcoin. You’re just spreading FUD_ _!_ I hear what you are saying (or thinking?), and there is nothing wrong with the concept of scarcity. Bitcoin and even gold derive their primary value due to their the limited supply. But unlike bitcoin, the Metaverse is not a store of financial value. It is a store of human value. I would argue the Metaverse is akin to [The library of Babel](https://maskofreason.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/the-library-of-babel-by-jorge-luis-borges.pdf), an infinite library of knowledge and human culture, except every book is a meta ’world’ of its own, that can be created, updated and stored by anyone. It is meant to be an omnipresent alternative that is open for everyone to create document, and take part in, irrespective of their financial status. People from growing economies that [make up more than 80% of the global population](https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/population-by-region/) are already priced out of these scarcity-driven platforms. And these same platforms are said to onboard the next billion people? So no, _I ain’t spreading no FUD amigo_, on the contrary - I see potential for projects that enable open worlds that are non restrictive. Platforms like [Monaverse](https://twitter.com/monaverse) are actively promoting a more open platform, where anyone can create and mint spaces, and port them away from Mona if the choose. This freedom to take your spaces with you not only empowers the creators and collectors but also incentivises the platform to create a thriving environment for their contributors. The promise of breathtaking user experiences -------------------------------------------- Immerse yourself. Lose yourself, Limitless, Open, Decentralized, Free-for-all. Did I get all the buzzwords? Has anyone actually launched these metaverse platforms on their devices and spent more than 10 mins? I have, with a spec’d out Legion 7. Not considering jet engine sound my laptop was making, it was was incredibly underwhelming for the so called immersive experiences that some of the leading metaverse platforms offer. I also find it astonishing seeing so many ‘spaces’ in the virtual world trying to mimic reality - _Why_? I don’t want to experience a virtual world that is an half-arsed attempt at creating a real world replica. I can experience that IRL. Case and point: ![Zaha Hadid - Liberland ‘Metaverse’](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/c8246a700470e838af692cf31dd9fb4df681688dc813bff915d805cedc6796fb.png) Zaha Hadid - Liberland ‘Metaverse’ This is what happens when you let a profession that has spent most of its time value managing their designs let _loose_ on the metaverse. But I digress, For now I’m sticking to my sub 50$ copy of No Man’s Sky to explore virtual worlds. ### Hardly aware Those who know me, know my thoughts - _we are_ not ready for VR (see what i did there). There’s quite a few reasons for this, but for this article, I will highlight hardware. Sure there's numbers proving [the record number of sales with VR headsets](https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/16/22785469/meta-oculus-quest-2-10-million-units-sold-qualcomm-xr2). But there’s also numbers proving [the record revenue of Blackberry](https://www.macrotrends.net/stocks/charts/BB/blackberry/revenue) phones at its prime. I’m not a fan of Facebook (not calling them Meta) , but even Zuck has admitted in their recent statement that their restructuring investment may not pay off until 2030s. There’s more potential for immediate adoption for Augmented Reality, (not a biased opinion, I promise). But taking off the [Imersian](https://linktr.ee/imersian) hat for a second, even AR relies on hardware. And cloud infrastructure. Oh, and bandwidth. Do you see where this is going? Our current hardware technology is not at a point where it can be adopted by the masses. But when it does eventually get there, with the big tech armed to their teeth with patents and IP, ladies and gentlemen, what do you think is going to happen? ### Gatekeepers of the metaverse No software can exist without hardware. This Open Metaverse is just a sliver showing _some_ form of decentralization in a much larger, intricate ecosystem of hardware and infrastructure, that is only possible because of the investments by corporations, institutes and governments. Software can aspire to be open, but in the end, the ones that develop, build, and maintain hardware will dictate the openness of the metaverse. There is a high chance that there will eventually be a duo-poly that capture a large chunk of the market. You can already see this in play - the requirement for a Facebook account was introduced to use the Oculus Quest. With the capital they’ve amassed, their aggressively priced headsets (albeit well-built) have become the go-to VR headset in the market. BUT, there is hope, _maybe_. Infrastructures like [Helium](https://www.helium.com/) are pioneering the decentralized hardware movement and setting a precedent for other projects to adopt. I hope to see these projects succeed, as they will hold the key to building any real form of the open metaverse. We are in an era that is seeing not just an evolution of tech, but economic models as well. New and innovative tokenomics are on the rise, many with game theory at its core. The concept of network states, defining factions and alliances through digital citizenship is both exciting and equally dystopian (more on this in a future article) Will the metaverse be controlled by big corps or will it live up to the promise of openness? That’s up to us now. **_You can find my_** [**_relevant socials_**](https://linktr.ee/vencolab) **_here if you’d like to reach out :)_** --- *Originally published on [vencolab](https://paragraph.com/@vencolab/the-case-against-an-open-metaverse)*