First

It is sudden! Do you know the word, “Metaverse”?

Nowadays, Facebook changed its name to Meta and became a hot topic so you may hear it.

Metaverse is a coined word combining "meta" and "universe" and it may become the second world for us in the future.

Now, let’s find out more about the Metaverse!

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Definition

Metaverse is derived from the virtual space on the Internet that appears in 1992 novel, “Snow Crash” by science fiction writer, Neil Stephenson and it’s thought that "Online virtual space where everyone can conduct communication and economic activities equivalent to the real world" now.

All of them are premised on being an "online space" and have the characteristic of being accessible "anytime, anywhere, anyone".

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To put it briefly, it’s three-dimensional Internet. What used to be science fiction has become a reality. Very romantic!

As mentioned above, the word "metaverse" is a coined word combining "meta" and "universe". Metaverse is used for services which Multiplayer games, Social VR, Avatar SNS, Block chain and so on. Concretely, there are “Second Life”, “Habitat”,” Fujitsu Habitat”, ”Fortnight” and so on. 。

Also, some important content for Metaverse is created by general users called UGC（User Generated Content）. This is used for “Tabelog”, SNS and so on. It may be possible to coexist with the conventional SNS and Metaverse in the future.

Moreover, there are two directions which is “open” and “closed” in the Metaverse. Thing being offered now is the closed version.

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Progress（History）

1986：It was released Habitat. →Also known as the original Metaverse, it can interact through avatars in a virtual city.

1990： It was released Fujitsu Habitat. →Fujitsu got license of Habitat.

1992：In "Snow Crash" (a science fiction novel), it is in the air, and the image drawn on the goggles and the sound sent to the earphone an imaginary world that appears. →It appeared in imaginary work which movie and novel at that time.

2003：Influenced by "Snow Crash", Second Life(America) starts operation. （It was an epoch-making service that enabled economic activities.）

2017：It was released VRChat.

October 2021：Former Facebook changes company name to Meta Platforms. →It paid attention again.

What is the difference with NFT ?

First, NFT is an acronym forNon-Fungible Token, which is a new authentication method (digital data) using blockchain technology.

It is attracting attention as a technology that gives unique value to digital content that can be copied.It is often confused with web3, which is a decentralized internet based on blockchain technology.

” Blockchain” is a database on a network. Unlike typical databases, there is no administrator, it is a distributed system, and cannot be changed or tampered with. （Even if they can be done, it is very difficult）

On the one hand, Metaverse is virtual space. It is often used in combination with XR, and so on, is also a place for people to interact and trade.

Incidentally, XR stands for” Cross Reality ”and a general term for technologies and services such as VR, AR, and MR. XR has good compatibility with the Metaverse, and the reason is that "it can create a sense of immersion as if you were really in a virtual space created with 3DCG" and "tracking the movements of the face, hands, and body and reflecting them in the avatar". "because it can be done", "natural and rich communication is possible", "because there are few leading players, there is a possibility that we can take a large share when XR devices become popular in the future".

Why is paid attention to Metaverse?

The virtual space has attracted attention due to Nintendo’s” Atsumori”, which was released in March 2020, and the American online battle royale game “Fortnite”, which was a big hit due to the demand for staying at home due to the corona crisis.

I was. Also, in October 2021, Facebook changed its company name to “Meta'' and officially announced that it will switch from an SNS platform to a Metaverse platform as a Metaverse company, so “What is the Metaverse that Facebook is focusing on?'' and attracted attention at once.　

Following that, the news that global companies such as Microsoft, Disney, and Nike have entered the Metaverse has become a hot topic.

This year our school had a school festival that was open to the public, so we conducted a questionnaire for the students in the school and the general public who came to see the school festival.

The contents of the questionnaire were ① Do you know the word Metaverse? ②Have you ever used the Metaverse? I was asked to answer in Yes/No format.

Regarding ②, I am asking after clarifying what the Metaverse is in advance.

Result of ① (Unit is person)

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Result of ② (Unit is person)

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From this graph, it can be seen that more than half of the people have heard or used the term Metaverse, which is attracting attention.

Communication

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I think that due to the influence of the new coronavirus, the use of online meeting tools such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams has increased in schools and companies.

Unlike traditional face-to-face communication, there is no need to go out and have a meeting, saving time and money.

Recently, there is a tendency for important meetings to rarely use online meeting tools and face-to-face meetings are preferred.

This is because the "amount of information due to actual face-to-face contact" such as gestures, facial expressions, and breathing of the other party is greater than online.

However, if you hold a meeting in the metaverse, you can see such gestures, and you can talk as if you were face-to-face.

Also, If the accuracy of facial expression tracking improves with the improvement of VR technology, the sensation will be further enhanced, and there is a possibility that a conference system that allows you to experience a more realistic feeling than face-to-face will appear.

Service, product provision

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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, people have been forced to reduce their contact with other people, so people who used to visit physical stores to purchase products and services are now trading online on Amazon, Rakuten market, and other sites. The number of cases where transactions are completed online using (EC) is increasing.

In terms of demand for eating out, "contactless consumption at home"is becoming more common, such as purchasing electronic versions of food delivery services such as Uber Eats and Demae-can, and content such as manga and movies.

These services and things are compatible with the Metaverse, and you can experience it as if you were in contact with it, even though you are not.

If contactless service and product provision progresses in the metaverse, new e-commerce platforms may appear.

Manufacturing premise

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Due to the corona crisis, many manufacturing sites have temporarily suspended operations and adjusted personnel, making it difficult to operate, especially at labor-intensive factories, both in Japan and overseas.

From now on, Manufacturing sites may return to their previous state once the coronavirus pandemic subsides, but it seems that there are not a few companies that are considering reviewing their assignments and labor-saving in order to build sites that are resistant to risks such as this infectious disease.There from a distance.

An idea is born to create a factory with as few workers as possible by operating robots.

In these circumstances, the use of VR technology and the metaverse is expected to accelerate transformation.

Education

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The education industry has been developing early in terms of the use of VR.

In Japan, at "N High School" and "S High School" operated by Kadokawa Doango, more than 1,000 extracurricular classes such as English, mathematics, Japanese, science, and social studies are taught using VR learning materials such as "Meta Quest 2" and "Smart Tutor". You can.

For example, in mathematics, you can intuitively understand three-dimensional structures that are difficult to understand on a plane, and you can improve your communication skills by interacting with AI in English in a virtual space. And, VR is being used not only in Japan but also overseas.Professor Jeremy Baylenson, a VR researcher, conducted classes in VR, that is, in virtual space, in order to investigate how the use of VR affects people.　　

Moreover, "Failure is acceptable" is also an advantage of metaverse education. For example, in English, having an avatar as a partner has the advantage of reducing the fear of failure.

Besides, it also has the advantage of "eliminating physical distancing”. Even if you do not study abroad, you can participate in classes at famous overseas universities from home, and it will be possible for working adults to obtain an MBA at an overseas university while working.

In addition, the metaverse is not only a place for knowledge acquisition, but also a place for discussion between teachers and students, deepening understanding and experience in both directions.

On the other hand, introducing the Metaverse into education is not without its challenges.、For example, in order to use VR, each student needs a device, and it is necessary to improve literacy not only for students but also for teachers.

Also, we must consider how to combine it with the education curriculum that has been done so far.

But, for those of us who have learned that it is not always necessary to be face-to-face after the Corona disaster, the metaverse is a very good teaching material.

Now that the Metaverse is being used not only for learning but also for open campuses at universities, etc., public awareness of the Metaverse will increase, and trust in education will increase.

Leisure

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There are so many topics related to the metaverse in games, and game companies are being acquired by major tech companies.

Games that have core fans are more likely to follow users if they can port their worldview directly to the metaverse.

The reason why the game and the Metaverse are compatible is because the game itself is built with 3DCG, so it is easy to create a virtual world, which is one of the core elements of the Metaverse. It is easy to divert the knowledge of the mask, and the production company provides high-quality content, which makes it easy to attract early users.

Source：https://pixabay.com/ja/service/terms

A specific service is Horizon Worlds, which is developed by Meta. A major feature is that there are plenty of creation functions that allow you to intuitively create VR spaces and games using the functions in "Horizon Worlds" without using external 3DCG tools. Emphasis is also placed on "creating" so that users will visit many times.

The genre of "social VR" to play with friends in VR is also gaining momentum. As a device, it can be used on a PC, but it is characterized by a relatively large number of users wearing VR goggles and logging in.

Exactly, VRChat released in 2017, is a deeply popular service with a certain number of users logging in every day even in Japan.

Behind the creation of such a strong community is the physical and immersive communication that VR goggles bring. And companies are taking advantage of it.

For example, Nissan Motor will open its own showroom on VRChat in November 2021, and it will be possible to experience not only an exhibition but also a tour to learn about the environment by going to the Antarctic and Arctic while riding the company's electric vehicle.

It is also used in virtual live streaming.The Japanese service "REALITY" is characterized by being a space for communication rather than a game.

Until now, live streaming has allowed communication only through the screen, but with the Metaverse, it will be possible to communicate more actively.

Moreover, Niantic, which is developing Pokémon GO, aims to build a metaverse centered not only on V R but also on A R.

We have already implemented an augmented reality function called "AR + mode" that makes it look like Pokemon is really in front of you in the real world. It is also active in the field of art. We've given you two examples. First is an initiative called "Meta Tokyo" which creates a space called "Global Culture City Tokyo" on the land of "D ecentraland" and conducts various projects with creators and partner companies in Japan and overseas.

NFT art is booming now and various projects are being created, and there are more and more cases where such crypto-based metaverses are used as exhibition places for such NFT art. Another example is the "Metaani", which is said to be a crypto art project.

There is a metaverse space called Mataani land, which is based on avatars and is described as a "theme park + music festival venue". The best feature is that avatars are so-called one-of-a-kind, and the shapes and patterns are randomly generated by the computer, and no two avatars are the same.

Metaverse is also used in the music field. Unlike2D live streaming, which is "just looking at the video captured by the camera", the metaverse live has the feature of "entering the space".

Medicine

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In the medical industry, the number of cases where it is used for “simulator” and “medical treatment” is increasing.

In the simulator, Japan has a virtual training for medical students developed by a venture company called Imacreate in collaboration with the University of Tokyo.

Practicing against humans is not something that can be done ethically and casually, so failure can be life threatening. However, in the VR space, such risks are eliminated.

They are also used to use avatars with their own physical characteristics to plan treatment.

Moreover, Astellas Pharma provides information to doctors on the Metaverse.

In terms of medical care, VR is also beginning to be used in the field of mental health.For example, exposure therapy to overcome anxiety disorders can be simulated by reproducing it using VR.

Besides, the number of cases where rehabilitation is carried out remotely is also increasing. A healthcare company called XR Health in the United States has realized a service that allows patients to use the metaverse and talk to their doctor while wearing a headset at home.

It has the advantage that the patient's health condition can be grasped in real time by simply playing a mini game in the Metaverse.

In addition, Microsoft Japan and Nagasaki University have also developed a telemedicine system using the metaverse for people who live on islands and cannot receive medical care on a daily basis.

These telemedicine benefits reduce wasted work not only for patients but also for healthcare workers. And patients use avatars instead of face-to-face conversations with doctors, making it easier to discuss their symptoms.

In this way, it can compensate for the disadvantages of face-to-face by using Metaverse.

NFT

As mentioned above, NFT stands for Non-Fungible Token in other words, a new authentication method (digital data) using blockchain technology. A technique that gives unique value to digital content that can be copied It was attracting attention as a technique, wasn't it? How is it used specifically? Let’s look at it immediately!

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First, it’s NFT art(content). This refers to works valued as unique works by NFT. Until now, digital data could be freely copied, making it difficult to add value, but NFT made it possible to value it as something unique in this world, like ordinary sculptures.

From here, let's deepen our understanding in Q and A format.

Q. What kind of NFT art can be considered?

A. NFT art can be used in a variety of ways, such as digital art works such as photos and illustrations, trading cards, cards and characters used in games, etc., as well as membership rights for e-books and magazines.

Q. Can NFT art be copied?

A. If the NFT work itself is digital, it can be copied, but the original work with a certificate (NFT) is guaranteed to be rare. NFT cannot be tampered with or copied.

Q. What are the NFT recorded?

A.Owner information, data storage location, rights, etc. are recorded.

Q. How to trade NFT?

A. Many NFT are traded on a place (site) called a marketplace. You can trade to become a member of the marketplace.

Q. Where will my content be stored once I purchase an NFT?

A. Even if you buy an NFT, the actual content (work) will not be delivered to you (on a case-by-case basis), so it is difficult to get a sense of physical ownership. Most of the works are stored on a file system that is difficult to tamper with.

Q. Will copyright laws also be transferred in NFT transactions?

A. In the regular marketplace, copyright is never transferred. Depending on the seller's and buyer's sales agreement and the marketplace's terms and conditions, in general, only the subscription rights are transferred.

Q.Can I make a profit with NFT?

A.I couldn’t say either way. If you are a producer, if your work has a buyer, you may earn unexpected income. Even if you can't make your own work, you may be able to make a profit by reselling your work. On the other hand, you need to keep in mind that there is a risk of incurring losses when trading.

Q.What currencies are accepted in the Marketplace?

A.Depending on the exchange (marketplace), crypto assets such as Ethereum, Bitcoin, Polygon (Matic), and Klaytn (KLAY) are used. Ethereum is the most used. Depending on the exchange, it may be possible to trade for Japan yen.

A specific service used in the business field is the in-house service "Horizon Workrooms" developed by Meta.

This is a service that specializes in t o b (business). It is a kind of virtual office app that allows people from all over the world to work together in a virtual space.

Unlike previous remote conferencing systems, users join as avatars. It is also a moderate mix of virtual and real.

Moreover, land is also bought and sold. "Decentraland" is a service that is often talked about for high-value land sales, most recently 2021 In the second half of the year, the news broke that land was bought and sold for more than 100 million yen. Since the maximum number of land is determined, there is also the advantage that "by setting a limit on the number of pieces digitally, you can add a premiere".

There is also a "Digital Model Room". This is characterized by the ability to simulate experiences that are difficult to simulate when visiting model rooms, such as comparing the day and night scenery of the property while reducing the time and effort required for viewing the interior and model room.

In relation to land, it is also used in the construction industry. There is a movement to simulate urban development and building construction using digital twins, and in Japan, Shizuoka Prefecture is working on it under the name "VIRTUAL SHIZUOKA".

It is also used for simulation purposes in the event of a disaster such as a landslide. Recently, it has also been used for ICT-based construction that inputs topographical information in advance and performs efficient construction. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's "PLATEAU" publishes3D data of urban topography and buildings as open data that anyone can use.

Event

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The metaverse is often used as an event venue instead of a real space.

In recent years, its use in business events has been attracting attention.

For example, SXSW (South by Southwest), a global art and technology event, has been developing a metaverse venue on VR chat since 21, and in 22, while a real event will be held in Seattle, USA, The cityscape of Seattle has been recreated.

It is also used for  various events such as setting up a virtual venue for the Tokyo Game Show in 21 years instead of postponing the public opening. Exhibition booths of each company were created in a way that could not be realized at an actual event, and the charm of the characters and worldview was elaborated. A total of 210,000 people attended, and more than 66% of the visitors were accessed from VR heads.

Moreover, At an XR and metaverse-themed exhibition called Muogura, there was an effort to realize offline exhibitions that had been held since before the Corona disaster in a virtual space. As a result, it was found that by using not only the website but also the virtual space, the unique value of the exhibition, such as "reproducing the feeling of gathering a large number of people" and "being able to meet people by chance", can be maintained.

For these reasons,  the use of the metaverse at events has the advantage of being able to participate from remote areas where it is not possible to participate, and the "space" can reproduce the feeling of gathering a large number of people even online.While the challenge is how to bring the experience in the metaverse closer to the experience in real life. Companies use the metaverse as an element of the event and use it only in scenes where they can take advantage of the advantages of the metaverse to reduce the weight of the metaverse and avoid deficits.

Contents

The metaverse is all about how to get users hooked, so from that point of view, "content" may be an easy field to collaborate with the metaverse. Have you ever found in the depths of the world of Disney, Hello Kitty, Gundam, and other content?

In Japan, various companies are focusing on the use of the metaverse. Bandai Namco announced the construction of the "Gundam Metaverse" and Sanrio held "SANRIO Virtual Fes in Sanrio Puroland".

This Sanrio music festival was particularly groundbreaking. This is because we were able to connect to music festivals from various places such as virtual space services and video distribution services.

In addition, there are signs that Sanrio has been striving to eliminate the boundary between real and virtual using XR and MR even before the pandemic. From that perspective, this music festival was an important starting point for Sanrio to use the metaverse.

And the avatars used by users were also devised in various ways. For example, a service that allows you to purchase paid costumes. By making the system more enjoyable for paid content, we were able to make the company profitable.

The retail industry

The metaverse-based shopping experience can replicate shopping in physical stores and is actually being used by several companies. Let's look at some of the key services!

First is Isetan Mitsukoshi. In March 2021, we released "REV WORLDS", which reproduces the Isetan Shinjuku main store and its surroundings as a virtual city. This service sells CG cosmetics, etc., and the purchase link is posted on the product, so if you find a product you are interested in at a store in the virtual space, you can purchase it as it is.

Second is RTFKT, which was acquired by Nike, and we are making virtual shoes as shoes that can be worn in real life and sending them to users. In addition, Nike launched "NIKELAND" in partnership with Roblox, a gaming platform. There you can play mini-games and see Nike products. In three months, Nike Land was able to attract 6.7 million visitors, which is impossible for a brick-and-mortar store. Of course, the metaverse has an aspect that customers are more likely to leave than physical stores, but it is expected that they will further expand into virtual spaces in the future. Moreover, as a high-fashion initiative, Instagrammers are increasingly uploading images of themselves in virtual clothes.

Third is H&M, which is developing a "virtual fashion" initiative as part of its sustainability. We are using the metaverse because virtual reduces waste, money, and time, as well as waste.

Last is "Virtual Market 2021" by HIKKY. Lawson, who opened a store there, used its own product, Karaage Kun, with the aim of creating "fun retail." For example, users were able to create original packages for Karaage Kun, and a place for interaction was created by hiring a popular VTuber as a one-day store manager. Through these services, we let people feel the fun of Lawson, and we distributed coupons that can be used at stores in the real world to encourage people to actually visit us.

Eating and Drinking

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Compared to other sectors, the food and beverage industry's entry into the metaverse is lagging now. You can imagine why you can't easily rely on the metaverse in this area.

Not only do we humans not lack physiological activities such as sleeping and eating, but there are also many people who enjoy eating.

In addition, the sense of taste, which is indispensable for eating and drinking, is very difficult to reproduce in the metaverse. Therefore, no matter how much the base of life is replaced by the metaverse, there is no way to leave reality.

However, it's not that there hasn't been any progress at all. I think it's still fresh in our memories that "online drinking parties" became popular during the Corona disaster, but there are examples of similar things being done in the metaverse. That is, we launched a collaboration product between the rum brand "LAODI" and the popular avatar "Merino".

This was an initiative to synchronize the real world with the virtual space by selling LAODI liquor in the real world and selling digital bottles in the virtual space.

The metaverse is also used to train clerks in the food and beverage industry.

Matsuya Holdings has been using teaching materials that allow users to experience customer service behavior using VR headsets and controllers. This teaching material can be judged as passing or failing because it can be used to determine the loudness of the voice, and since it also supports overseas languages, it is possible to educate staff of a wide range of nationalities.

These metaverse uses have actually had various effects. Matsuya, which I mentioned earlier, has succeeded in shortening educational hours, reducing working hours, and cutting costs.

In addition, Kobe Steel's group company, Koperco E&M, reported that it was able to lift all employees to a certain level and that it led to an increase in the speed of learning. Currently, headsets are just starting to spread, so many people cannot experience it at the same time, but it is expected that more companies will introduce VR in the future, such as being able to take VR training at home.

Sightseeing

The coronavirus pandemic has restricted activities across countries and regions globally, and the travel and tourism industry has been severely damaged. That's where the metaverse has become popular. This motivates real travel to "experience the metaverse and go there if you really want to go."

Railway companies such as JR East Japan and Hankyu Hanshin Holdings are particularly focused on tourism. JR East Japan launched "Virtual AKIBA World" to make it easy for users to enjoy the area around Akihabara Station.

In this virtual Akiba World, you can use trains and stations unique to railway companies, and even talk to each other. In addition, people who are on trains and stations in real life can also participate in the virtual Akihabara World by scanning the QR code. And since station advertisements tailored to users can be brought to the fore in Virtual Akihabara World, it will be easier to lead to future profits.

Another means of transportation is German car entertainment VR content. Developed by a company called Holoride, you can enjoy VR content that matches the movement of the car through a headset. Currently, you can only experience it alone, but in the future it may become a service that allows you to connect with people in other cars.

On the other hand, Finland was an advanced country that felt the growth of tourism in the metaverse even before the corona disaster. Originally, the idea was to bring together the people and the country to liven up Finland, but the corona epidemic caught up with it and we started holding events.

Advertisement

The use of the metaverse as a new approach to young people and as a way of planning is increasing.

Dentsu and a Japan startup company called "AMBR" jointly worked on "Tokyo Game Show 2021 Online." Some of the content of the annual Tokyo Game Show is converted into VR, and game makers set up booths in the metaverse where you can see information on each company's new games.

The "virtual market" run by a Japan company called "HIKKY" is an image of holding a joint exhibition on "VRChat". It is famous for many famous companies opening stores, and DOCOMO is also making efforts such as advertising the city on the virtual market.

The reasons why SNS and the metaverse are compatible include "There is a possibility that the know-how of communication activation that supports the success of the metaverse can be diverted", "If you are already operating a huge SNS, you may be able to acquire initial users by utilizing your membership base", "Since it is not specialized in games, it can be used for entertainment such as virtual live, It is easy to expand use cases such as business applications such as virtual offices", "If we can acquire a certain number of users, there is a high possibility that we can monetize through tie-ups and collaborations with major brands and IPs".

And there is another major feature of advertising within the metaverse. That is, it is an advertisement that can obtain and utilize information that could not be gathered by real-world advertising alone. I think you can easily imagine real advertising. For example, you will see a lot of store signboards in your daily life. In addition, advertisements for computers and smartphones are displayed with personalized content. However, that data is limited and companies are not making the most of it.

Therefore, we have come to think that new value will be created by utilizing advertising in virtual spaces as well. An example of this is an experiment between major cereal food companies Kellogg and Accenture in a VR space. This was an experiment in which when products were laid out on a display shelf in a VR space, customers wearing headsets looked at how much products they looked at in what kind of place, and how they moved their eyes. As a result, it was found that they were not necessarily the most likely to see products at eye level, and it shocked real stores that had previously displayed products at a height that matched the customer's point of view.

In this way, there is a lot of data in the virtual space that could not be noticed only in the real world, such as line of sight. And since it is possible to display ads tailored to everyone within the metaverse, these technologies should be able to combine them for better marketing.

Of course, there are many challenges when it comes to advertising. As various data is collected, it is necessary to decide again how to exchange that data. In addition, from the advertising industry's point of view, VR advertising is a new place of revenue, but there have been cases where VR advertising has been promoted so much that advertisements have been included in paid content, and many complaints have been received, so we will have to think carefully about how to handle VR advertising in the future.

In addition, Nissan, an automobile company that was one of the first to use the metaverse compared to other companies, is trying to raise the profile of Nissan Motor from various fields. For example, we created a world such as "NISSAN CROSSING" on VR chat, and advertised electric vehicles in the same gallery as Ginza.

By the way, at this NISSAN CROSSING by creating a real-world atmosphere by adding a café and other facilities, customers were also devised to enjoy it. In addition, a tour was opened to the public to think about climate change by traveling around the world using electric vehicles in VR. It can be said that this project was innovative because it was born from the idea that because it is virtual, it can be made into an environmentally friendly tour while traveling around the world. And since Nissan is developing events in collaboration with individual creators, it seems that it would be good to use the metaverse as a new place for communication, as well as to get people interested in Nissan at new car announcements and car-related events.

In the future, the day when the metaverse will become a place where more people can learn about companies will not be far off.

Manufacturing

There are two most common applications in the manufacturing industry "design review" and "showroom" in virtual space.

Design review is to look at blueprints and consider whether multiple people can proceed to the next stage, and in this field, NVIDIA, a manufacturer that makes G PU chips, says "O mniverse in the past, design reviews often involved confirming the design of the product itself, but with Omniverse, you can review the factory itself. Specifically, you can check "which line to place where" and "where to place workers to improve efficiency" in virtual space.

In addition, Nissan Motor is keen to use it as a virtual showroom. Audi in Germany also allows you to check optional parts and colors in VR when buying a car. You can easily compare options that are not available at the dealership, and you can also take your time to see the ideal one in 3D space. 

Another concept is the "Metafactory." This is a factory launched by a Korean car manufacturer, and it is a factory that reproduces a real factory as 3DCG, so to speak, a digital twin. The biggest advantage of Metafactories is that they reduce physical movement and improve work efficiency. Just by checking the Metafactory, problems can be dealt with in a real factory, and there is no need for test operations that have been done in real factories until now. Therefore, it is possible for companies to freely produce products without being restricted by location.

Advantage/Risk

While the metaverse is becoming a new place to interact, it also contains dangers and disadvantages because it is new, and it needs to be treated with care.

There are three main advantages.

First, it is to eliminate waste. In the real world, we are still trying to eliminate seals and convert paper into data, but it is also true that there are limits. However, with the metaverse, for example, when working, most people can concentrate on their work while staying at home with the same tension as in person. Of course, data can also be used to share information, and meetings can be held in a virtual space if necessary. Modern people do not have much time, and it can be said that it is a great advantage that travel time can be reduced as much as possible.

Second, it allows for a wider range of interactions than in the real world. Unlike the real world, there are almost no differences between countries or races in virtual space. In addition, language barriers can be removed by using simultaneous interpretation. Of course, there are differences in values, so you may bump into each other at first, but if communication in the metaverse becomes commonplace, you should be able to get along well with various people. Furthermore, one of the differences from the real world is the existence of "avatars". The avatar used in the virtual space can be freely created regardless of the person's actual appearance. This may make it difficult to identify the other person, but one of the advantages of the metaverse is that individuals can freely express themselves and enjoy the virtual space.

Third, it is that you can get the right information quickly. Even now, you can learn about world affairs and regional information through mass media such as the Internet and television. However, if that information can be shared quickly, nothing can reach the metaverse. If you live in the metaverse, you can share information with various people, not just people close to you in the real world. Therefore, I think that many people can get information relatively equally without being bound by their own environment.

　On the other hand, there are three risks and disadvantages.

The first is that face-to-face communication is decreasing, and opportunities to go outside the building are decreasing. Activities in the metaverse are essentially done through devices, eliminating the need to interact directly with people. It is true that it may save time and improve work efficiency, but it is obvious that the number of people who lack exercise will increase in the future. In the future, when the existence of the metaverse becomes commonplace, we must be able to balance life in the real world and in the virtual space.

The second is about legislation in the metaverse. In the real world, various laws such as the Constitution are established, and thanks to them, we can live our daily lives with peace of mind. However, laws on crimes in the metaverse have not yet been developed, and it is not clear who will be responsible in an emergency or how to deal with them. Moreover, not only crimes, but also marriages, funerals, etc. There is no end to thinking about whether marriage in the metaverse is different from marriage in the real world, and whether avatars will die in virtual space if there are no more users in the real world in the first place. Therefore, I think that minimum legislation is required to live with peace of mind in the metaverse.

The third issue is security. The metaverse is a rapidly evolving field in recent years, and security measures are not perfect. What if more people live in the virtual space in their current state, what if there is some kind of security problem? Although the metaverse is a virtual space, it is also a place where many companies have entered and many transactions are taking place, so there is a good possibility that the damage will be widespread. First, it is important to ensure the security of the metaverse and to nurture such engineers.

In the future

In the future, the metaverse will further develop and become an indispensable part of our lives as a new communication tool.

However, various issues remain in the metaverse, such as legislation, security, and balancing with the real world.

In order to make good use of the metaverse, it seems necessary to carefully prepare the foundation now.

What we want to say

Thank you for visiting this site.

Some of you may be interested in the metaverse and want to experience it.

I think that knowledge about the metaverse will become more and more important in the future, so I think it is a good idea to refer to this site and touch on the correct answer to the metaverse.

Of course, it is not yet widely available, so if you just try to play in the dark, you may be scammed or criminalized. While learning what risks and manners there are and what actions to take, we want you to make the most of the metaverse and have a good time.

Bibliography

・久保田瞬、石村尚也　『メタバース未来戦略 現実と仮想世界が融け合うビジネスの羅針盤』（日経BP 2022年6月16日)

・村松雄太『図解ポケット　メタバースがよくわかる本』（秀和システム、2022年）

・武井勇樹『60分でわかる！メタバース超入門』（技術評論社、2022年5月10日）

・森川ミユキ『60分でわかる！NFTビジネス超入門』（技術評論社、2022年4月26日）

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Creator information

・Praying Mantis: When I'm old, I want to live a self-sufficient life on an uninhabited island.

・Ad-kun: I like Lego and making robots.

・nazuna：She is a so-called subculture girl.

・Hecopen: I'm just fiddling around with my computer.

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