The Transformative Power of Video Games: Building the Future of the Metaverse

If the metaverse is truly considered the successor to the internet, it might seem surprising that its fundamental basis stems from the video game industry. However, upon closer examination, it becomes clear why the $180 billion gaming industry has the potential to shake up the $95 trillion global economy. The key lies in evaluating and considering the role that technical limitations play in the actual development of the metaverse.

It's important to highlight a fact that's obvious to everyone but often goes unnoticed: for decades, most of the most powerful CPUs and GPUs weren't in the hands of large corporations, but rather in ordinary homes in the form of video game consoles or gaming PCs. This is because few software programs required the processing power of a game in the year 2000.

This power did not go unnoticed by the Japanese government, which at one point imposed export restrictions on Sony for fear that the PlayStation 2 could be used for terrorist acts, such as processing missile guidance systems. Ref 1

Nor can we ignore the statement made by US Secretary of Commerce Don Evans in 2010, when he said that "yesterday's supercomputer is today's PlayStation."

The consoles are so powerful that the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory built a computer using 1,760 PlayStation 3s, which ranked 33rd in the world at the time. This project, called CONDOR CLUSTER, cost between 5% and 10% of equivalent systems and consumed only 10% of the energy. The computer was modified to improve radar, recognize patterns, process satellite images, and research artificial intelligence. Ref 2

It's no secret that the companies that have driven the rise of consoles and PCs have become some of the most powerful technology companies in history. A prime example is Nvidia, a company that may not be as well-known to most people in the technology field, but that easily competes with such famous and powerful platforms as Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft.

Today, Nvidia ranks among the world's top 10 publicly traded companies. Interestingly, this company wasn't founded with the intention of becoming a video game giant. In fact, it was created based on the prediction that, over time, graphics-based computing would become extremely necessary and important for solving problems, processes, and queries that general-purpose computing couldn't handle on its own. For this reason, Nvidia's CEO, Jensen Huang, believed that the best way to develop the necessary technological capabilities was to focus on video games.

Now, let's define the concept of the metaverse to better understand how all the history mentioned above impacts its evolution.

What is the metaverse and how do video games influence it?

The metaverse can be defined as a set of interconnected virtual worlds in real time, where people can interact in a shared digital world in 3D format.

With this definition in mind, it's important to understand that building the metaverse requires advanced technology, such as virtual and augmented reality, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cloud computing. The video game industry has been a pioneer in developing these technologies.

Furthermore, the metaverse still faces many barriers in terms of software, hardware, interconnectivity, monetization, and more. This is where the video game industry can play a key role by offering solutions to many of these obstacles.

Let's consider some examples: video games are paving the way for the consolidation of the metaverse. For decades, video games have been an interconnected social space that has had to confront and overcome many of the barriers mentioned above, albeit on a smaller scale. In recent years, we've seen games like Fortnite organize virtual concerts within their world, featuring renowned artists such as Travis Scott and Ariana Grande, among others.

Furthermore, games like Second Life, Minecraft, and Roblox have represented significant advancements in these areas. In several of these games, players use virtual materials to construct objects that their characters can use, monetize, perform jobs, and sell. These experiences are vital for us to truly consider that we are in a metaverse.

For these reasons, and because the video game industry has faced and overcome similar challenges to those currently facing the metaverse, we believe that this experience can be fundamental to the development and strengthening of the metaverse in the future.