When Ready Player One & Free Guy Becomes Reality
Having watched both movies “Ready Player One” (RPO) and “Free Guy” (FG) recently last year, I got to say it really got me thinking about what a VR based metaverse world could potentially look like in the future. Apart from giving you the sci-fi vibes that you get from the concept of futurism; I believe that the metaverse(s) of the future, would provide an ‘alternative’ world where individuals can show and display the ‘other side’ of them by doing what they normally wouldn’t be able or willing to do in the ‘real’ world. The possibilities are endless, some of which I’ll get into below.
Note: Knowing the background context behind both movies isn’t important as I’ll explain the storyline briefly as we go along, so it doesn’t matter if you haven’t watched them yet.
Ready Player One (RPO)
RPO is basically set in the year 2045, and involves the creation of a virtual reality simulation known as the OASIS, where its creator (prior to his death) has hidden the keys to his fortune within the simulation itself for a worthy player to discover upon finding clues along the way and completing various kinds of quests. Donning on a set of VR goggles, players from all over the world are able to immerse themselves in the virtual world, engage with one another while taking on the forms of different avatars customized to their liking and preferences. The movie continues with the protagonist teaming up with a few other avatar-based characters to solve quests in the virtual world through collecting clues that are required to move on to the next stage, all while ‘defeating’ villains along the way that attempt to compromise and jeopardize the integrity of the simulated world.
Free Guy (FG)
FG on the other hand portrays an NPC (non-player character) as being a bank teller in a (massively multiplier online role-playing video game) MMORPG style video game simulation called Free City. In the game however, this particular NPC deviates from its usual programming script, and begins to develop self-awareness while beginning to think and view the video game simulation from the perspective of a normal player’s. The movie continues with the NPC collaborating alongside another avatar which belongs to a ‘real-life’ player embarking on a journey to find evidence proving that the CEO of a gaming company had stolen that player’s original source code from a previous game created, to incorporate into the “Free City” game itself.
Takeaways and Implications of The Metaverse on The World
The idea of a metaverse encompassing the likes of an alternate virtual-reality based world may sound like a virtual utopia to some, or a dystopian nightmare to others. However, to me it sounds like an alternate world acting like a medium, one that allows for individuals wanting to escape the ‘real’ world to seek refuge in a ‘place’ they feel they might not get judged, say basing on their outlook, appearance or fashion style as how they normally would be in the physical world. To some, the metaverse may feel more like a place of comfort and belonging rather than just as a source of entertainment. It might be a place where they can confide their personal issues to a bunch of like-minded individuals, whose only mutual connection is through the meeting of their virtual avatars in the metaverse without any prior face-to-face encounters physically. Or, it could be a place where individuals can demonstrate their ability to do the things they like, that they would otherwise feel constrained to a certain extent to do so in the real world due to limitations, restrictions or other forms of stringent considerations. (I.e. The notion of expressing the other side of them.)
For example, someone who has talent, and dreams of performing but has stage fright, might see themselves masked anonymously behind an avatar and performing at a virtual concert in front of other player-based avatars. Or say, another individual who might by shy in hitting the dance floor at your local club, might feel more comfortable behind an online avatar at a virtual club dishing out come cool dance moves you never thought would be possible. Apart from taking into consideration the great potential the metaverse has in transforming the gaming industry, imagine the plethora of opportunities the virtual world brings to other industries. Imagine the likes of hosting VR classes, breakdance battles, boxing matches, talent shows, therapy/rehab classes and many more such events virtually. Moreover, a multitude of metaverses combined could potentially result in various form of in-game currencies being created, which would ultimately allow for players and their avatars to use to transact in return for other forms of virtual goods and services. How this pans out would be too complex to envisage now but I can definitely see it as an avenue for players to monetize their hobbies/passion, something which is quite uncommon for individuals to do so in making the proceeds of their hobbies as a full-time income in the real world. For example, players selling their drawings in the forms of NFTs at in-game stores, or designers opening up their very own virtual fashion store in the metaverse, could conduct commerce as how one normally would in the real world. The in-game currency revenue that an online merchant or vendor earns could essentially be traded and ‘cashed out’ in the form of fiat currency that could be utilized in the real world.
Despite all that begin written, what strikes me most as an interesting takeaway from both RPO and FG is the ability for the creator or developer to ‘codify’ their feelings, emotions and thoughts into the algorithms that power the respective virtual worlds. In RPO, before the creator of the OASIS passed, the way in which the challenges, quests and clues in the virtual simulation were designed specifically as such to reflect the creator’s love life, interests/hobbies and regrets that were based on what he had emotionally experienced and felt in the real world. FG on the other hand involves one of the software developers coding the feeling he developed towards a player (Millie) by encoding what he knew about her tastes/preferences into an AI routine based in-game which was ultimately incorporated into the protagonist’s ( The bank teller NPC) codebase. Hence, the protagonist’s message to the online avatar of the in-game player “I love you, Millie. Now maybe that’s just my programming talking, but guess what? Somebody wrote that program. I’m just a love letter to you. Somewhere out there is the author.” One of the most intriguing movie lines written everrr.
This goes to demonstrate how both movies manage to utilize the concept of codifying the feeling, emotions and ‘sentience’ displayed by individuals into AI algorithms that help program the virtual space, be it taking on the form of the metaverse/s or a virtual avatar character.
Imagine how insane it would be if each individual were allowed the ability to create their very own virtual ‘world/room/space’ that allowed them to showcase and codify intangible things such as their ‘aspirations, dreams, feelings, mentalities etc’ that they would like others to experience or know of and can resonate with. This could take the form of a simple quest with challenges one designs specifically about themselves, that they can ask those who enter their virtual world to solve while giving them some sort of clues along the way, and then choosing to reward them with a custom designed NFT, should they solve them successfully and gain access to various perks and benefits. You could even create your own little love letter themed game which is all fun and games until erm your crush enters YOUR little virtual world. Things get even wackier when you with your personal digital avatar/identity are able to traverse through to your friends’ little virtual worlds created with their own rules and quests designed accordingly to their ‘playbook’. The unbounded and unconstrained nature of the virtual world COULD even allow you to access the ‘worlds’ of other people from all over the globe, similarly to how the web and social media changed the way we interact and communicate with one another, ultimately without facing the physical limitations you would experience in the real world.
Now before you cay how this can easily get out of hand, there are of course always going to be the downsides, risks and negative factors associated with new forms of technology and the emergence of the metaverse as such, is no different. For example, there is going to be ambiguity over how certain sets of laws and regulations would be put in place to help safeguard players against the malice of others and in ensuring that everyone conforms to the ‘rules.’ Orrr, MAYBE the metaverse/s that we know would not have any rules at all, hence I digress.
Anyways, whether or not this is all technically feasible and possible given the status quo, just the thought of what could actually be an alternate parallel digital world analogous to the current one we live in is too fascinating of an opportunity not to be further explored, pursued and researched on. We are just at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to exploring the known unknowns and unknown unknowns of the metaverse, ESPECIALLY if you integrate it with the nuances and the esoteric nature of AI algorithms. Nevertheless, I’m excited to see what progress we’ll make in the coming months/years when it comes to innovation. With that being said, just as I finished typing this article, banking giant DBS has just recently announced a couple of days ago its partnership with The Sandbox to launch ‘DBS BetterWorld’, while seeking to acquire a 3x3 plot of virtual real estate land in the metaverse.
