"We will use the Metaverse without realizing it"

Matthew Ball is one of the masterminds of the Metaverse, the design of which is the subject of controversy. A conversation about the way into the digital parallel world

When it comes to the Metaverse, many people think of VR glasses and virtual worlds. But does it have to be like this? Matthew Ball is considered one of the pioneers of the concept. Since 2018, he has published numerous essays on the subject on his blog and guest posts and has been instrumental in shaping the debate about the Metaverse. In an interview he says: It will be different than we imagine.

​ ZEIT ONLINE: So far, the term metaverse is perhaps most likely associated with video games or virtual reality, in which the employees of a company meet to work together. How do you define the term? Matthew Ball: I define the Metaverse as a scalable and interoperable network of real-time computed, virtual, three-dimensional worlds. A practically unlimited number of users can experience these worlds simultaneously and permanently. They have a sense of physical presence and there is a constant exchange of data, for example with regard to identity, history, goods, communication and payments. Put more simply: It is a synchronous, real-time, three-dimensional Internet.

ZEIT ONLINE: You deliberately leave it open in your book what life feels like on such a real-time Internet – and instead describe the general conditions. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, for example, believes that you need virtual reality glasses to enter the Metaverse. How do you see it?
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