Most contemporary game metaverses offer interoperability, but how many instances have you seen in action?
Interoperability among gaming metaverses remains a pipe dream, at least in short to medium term, for various reasons. Blockchain networks, for example, the architecture upon which gaming metaverses are constructed, have yet to attain complete interoperability.
Blockchain networks are designed to function independently in isolated contexts, responding to the particular demands of each community. They are not meant to interact with one another, resulting in fragmented ecosystems. As a result, the gaming metaverses developed on top of these isolated settings will face similar issues in terms of interoperability.
Despite continued progress, the blockchain ecosystem has a long way to go before it can match the user experience provided by current Web2 platforms, products, and solutions. Therefore, as we move closer to Web3, metaverse designers should prioritize more important concerns first, then collaborate with GameFi ecosystems that specialize in integrating various Web3 initiatives to bring them together.
Rather than concentrating on interoperability, metaverse architects, particularly those developing metaverse games, must begin focusing on user experience, which is one of the crucial components driving mainstream acceptance.
The user experience is critical to success.
User experience (UX) is critical for any technological product or service to enter the mainstream market. It is no different in the metaverse and its many virtual ecosystems.
The goal of the metaverse is to deliver immersive experiences. While there are several user experience components, the final aim is to give consumers meaningful, relevant, and adaptable experiences. As a result, every aspect, from load speed to aesthetics, will significantly influence the UX.
Increased adoption is strongly tied to UX in gaming metaverses, among the most popular metaverses. However, even if the game has AAA visuals and the most up-to-date play-to-earn features, it won’t be able to attract a large audience if the blockchain it’s built on can’t provide rapid throughput.
Feeling the need for blockchain velocity?
As we all know, blockchain still has a long way to go regarding transaction speeds. However, in today’s fast-paced world, consumers don’t want to wait too long for anything, particularly in the gaming industry. This shift in customer behavior is amplified by Web2 infrastructure (APIs, centralized servers, etc.). In addition, the current Web2 ecosystem of platforms, goods, and services has generated audience loyalty by providing customers with the ease and accessibility they want.
And all customers want is a great user experience!
Even the fastest blockchain network is now a sluggish, lumbering turtle compared to players engaging on a gaming server located on an AWS or Azure rack. Although quick and responsive, traditional games have sometimes lost customers due to micro delays in interaction. As a result, the priority for gaming metaverses should be to identify viable solutions to the transaction rate of blockchains.
Making the game metaverse device-independent
Next, metaverse creators must prioritize cross-device interoperability. The vast majority of metaverses only support desktops. There are just a few game metaverses that run flawlessly on mobile devices. In a future where smartphones and IoT devices are taking control, metaverse ventures that do not prioritize interoperability will fail.
Users should be able to connect to their favorite metaverses from any device, whether a smartphone, a laptop, or a console. Web2 games, for example, that emphasize cross-platform compatibility have always been able to engage more players than those that restrict their games to a single platform. As a result, it is equally essential to create gaming metaverses that function across devices and operating systems. In addition, end consumers desire accessibility; therefore, confining these vast metaverses to a single OS or device would be futile.
Fast (and simple) navigation is essential.
Metaverse creators should also prioritize usability. By ease of use, I mean the procedure that users must go through to join the metaverse. For example, users often abandon Web2 sites that require lengthy sign-up procedures. It will be the case with Web3 as well.
Most consumers find navigating the vast blockchain ecosystem complicated, mainly via decentralized markets and platforms. In addition, the metaverse and all of its virtual worlds, each with its coins, economies, wallets, and networks, add to the confusion.
To overcome these issues, metaverse creators should concentrate on creating features that allow users to join their metaverses fast and effortlessly. They must focus on the information architecture (IA), interaction design, graphic design (user interface), and general usability of their metaverse.
You’ll also need players.
Finally, gaming metaverses should prioritize user engagement. While the premise of play-to-earn, actual asset ownership, and monetization potential entice consumers, developers must also engage (and maintain) their users.
Gaming metaverses may learn from the Web2 gaming industry and how successful games like GTA, World of Warcraft, Roblox, Minecraft, and others grew their communities via user-generated content. In this regard, the gaming metaverse has a lot of promise, mainly since it is meant to deliver an immersive and engaging experience.
In this context, gaming metaverses should prioritize adding simple features that enable users to create their content and contribute it to the current metaverse (for example: adding mods on GTA, players building their skins in Fortnite, and player-generated worlds across Minecraft). Simultaneously, metaverse developers may employ blockchain capabilities to allow players to monetize their user-generated content, creating a win-win scenario for both parties.
Concentrate on the Present.
While I cannot disagree that interoperability is critical to the future metaverse, there are more significant challenges that metaverse developers must solve with more urgency.
Interoperability is a long-term aim that is currently being mapped out. As a result, rather than concentrating on something that cannot be accomplished now, It is best to focus efforts on improving the overall user experience of metaverse activities.
As the underlying technology evolves and potential interoperability solutions, such as cross-chain, multichain, and omnichannel protocols, prove their worth, metaverse builders should work on their respective metaverses and collaborate with GameFi ecosystems that specialize in connecting different Web3 projects to build an interconnected ecosystem.