Massively multiplayer online role-playing games have given marketers decades of lessons in building viable, appealing metaverse spaces. It might be fun to battle a 64-bit dragon with your friends in World of Warcraft or create a self-sufficient wheat farm in Minecraft—but it can still be a huge drag to be a billionaire in a virtual reality world if the systems in place offer underwhelming, lackluster experiences.
Some companies have incorrectly assumed that their audience’s dream is to never remove their headsets. But the virtual ability to fly into outer space, give themselves washboard abs and purchase a digital house next to Snoop Dogg doesn’t mean they will care.
Fortunately, we have years of data about what has truly worked in metaverse spaces and what users want when it comes to hanging out, shopping and even living in them:
Communication
If the metaverse is truly another world for us to live in, people need to feel as much of the nuanced connection and communication they would have standing next to a person in the real world. It’s not just about implementing good communication technology, it’s also about entering social discourse about real issues people are talking about.