A metaverse game is a blockchain-powered online multiplayer platform where players can take part digital experiences in real-time. The term was coined by Neal Stephenson in his 1992 novel Snow Crash.
Think of the metaverse as a blockchain-powered MMO. Each player traverses a virtual landscape, exploring their surroundings and completing quests, either alone or with others.
Popular metaverse titles include The Sandbox, Decentraland, and Otherside. In these games, players can purchase Land NFTs. This allows players to own and develop virtual land within those metaverses – often with the aim of creating a passive income.
Although the metaverse can be a VR experience – and many started with that as the goal – the majority are now accessed via PC or mobile.
Early metaverse titles promoted the idea of taking NFTs from one game and making them useable in another, or to make metaverse-to-metaverse travel a reality. As of writing, neither of these have yet to come to fruition.
With that said, many popular NFT collectibles can be used as 3D avatars inside metaverse games, including CryptoPunks, Bored Ape Yacht Club, and Pudgy Penguins.