There once was a place purely digital

We gave it a name that’s residual. (from Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson)

It’s called ‘metaverse’

Though it could have been worse,

Since the people who make it are phygital.

OK. I’m not Robert Louis Stevenson (his book is at right), but since this incarnation of the metaverse was breathed to life by kids and birthed during the pandemic, I figured the best way to pay tribute was in verse. And because the metaverse exists mostly in the vivid imaginations of its creators, it looks quite different depending on who’s doing the creating. Below is my garden of (meta)verses, with apologies to RLS .

The Hardware Based Meta Verse: Meta (formerly known as Facebook)

Some worlds are based on their hardware,

Without glasses or headsets you’re nowhere.

Meta’s betting the farm

And it’s costing an arm (or your legs)

Their verse will require some headgear.

The AR Based Metaverse

With Niantic, you’ll smell the roses and walk some miles:

Augmenting the real world is more their style.

Staying glued to a screen

Makes their stomachs turn green

But augmenting our world makes them smile.

The Gaming Metaverse:  Fortnite

A survival game from start to finish,

This metaverse is all about innish. (The in-game currency that is)

You’ll use V-bucks to purchase some swords and the likes

And attend glam events dressed to the nine-ish.

The Ownership Metaverse: Sandbox

Want to grab land in a world that’s not earth?

Don’t worry, this land has real worth.

In the Sandbox, you’ll stake out your turf.

Own a plot, build a game, build a store

And know exactly who your swank neighbors are.

The Status-Seeking Metaverse: Decentraland

Want a world that is owned by its users,

Including the famous and also abusers?

With only 90,000 parcels of land

It’s sure to be high on demand

And you’ll play with coin and not dollars to do so.

The Enterprise Metaverse: Matterport

To make a digital twin of your real life goods,

Head to Matterport to set up one of your ‘hoods.

Selling cars, or full homes

Fashion items or domes

It’s a digital replica of the world as it’s known.

The Art Scene: OpenSea.io

For collectors who want to own NFTs,

Set sail and head off to this special sea.

You’ll buy art with eth

There’s often value beneath

Great if being a member of the (yacht) club is what you seek.