THE metaverse has come out of nowhere and become a subject of excitement and controversy over the past few months.

Despite companies like Meta (formerly Facebook) and Microsoft predicting the metaverse will replace the internet, some critics have argued it’s just a ploy for businesses to attract more publicity and the concept won’t ever see the light of day.

But the truth is, metaverse-like worlds have been around for decades and it’s possible you’ll have already experienced them.

So what can you actually do in the metaverse in 2022?

Play, build and explore virtual worlds

Renown games like Roblox and Minecraft have been providing metaverse-like experiences for nearly a decade.

Second Life and Eve Online entered the ‘metaverse’ space way back in 2003, and World of Warcraft sprang to life in 2004.

Then games such as Decentraland and The Sandbox spawned onto the scene and started rewarding users through play-to-earn games, where you earn NFTs and cryptocurrency in exchange for completing challenges and spending time playing the game.

The founder of Reddit believes these types of games will account for 90 per cent of the entire gaming industry in just five years’ time.

Users who hold a stake in these platforms also have a say in the future development of their worlds.

Voting systems set up on platforms like Discord advise developers on what to do next.

To create accounts in both Decentaland and The Sandbox, you just connect a crypto wallet such as MetaMask.

Although it is possible to play as a guest in Decentraland.

The Sandbox is technically in testing phase and the first season has closed, so you can’t play it until the second stage of testing is released. The date has yet to be confirmed.

You can roam around the virtual worlds.

In virtual spaces, like shopping malls, art galleries and plazas, you can walk around and speak to people, play games, build houses or attend events.

Decentraland even has its own music festivals.

Meet people for work or play

You can either meet in open worlds like The Sandbox and Decentraland or custom-build rooms on platforms like Spatial.

Spatial has been purpose built for events, conferences and meetings and you can log in on Google, or through MetaMask.

Spatial’s metaverse is split into rooms where users can either visit pre-built ones or create their own.

Users can move around Spatial on mobile, on a browser or through an Oculus VR headset.

Meta – formerly Facebook – is also building a social hub for its VR headsets.

MetaHub are currently building virtual hangout spaces for conferences and business events, and Decentraland hosted its first music festival in 2021.

Create a 3D avatar

Your avatar is integral for your virtual identity.

Profile picture NFTs such as CryptoPunks and the Bored Ape Yacht Club are great for Twitter, Discord and other platforms.

Invest in virtual land, NFTs or tokens

There are a number of ways you can invest in the metaverse.

You can invest in NFTs, like CryptoPunks or Bored Apes and speculate on virtual land or in-game items, like those offered on Decentraland and The Sandbox.

You could also invest in in-game currencies such as MANA or SAND.

If you’re not sure which token to invest, you could invest in a metaverse index fund, such as the Metaverse Index (MVI) offered by Index Coop.

Want to stay away from cryptocurrency? You could invest in virtual reality and metaverse companies.

Meta – formerly Facebook – is one company betting big on the future of virtual and augmented reality.

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What happened last week in the metaverse? Find out HERE.