The Metaverse: A Professional Guide: An expert's guide to virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and immersive technologies

• Preface – How the metaverse coincides with immersive technologies
• Overview of VR and AR, and how it ties to the metaverse
• Hopping through a metaverse
• NFTs and the metaverse: Some promise, but a long way to go
• The right design principles for building immersive products
• The long-running ramifications of COVID-19
• Charting the business direction of immersive technologies and the metaverse
• AR glasses: Hype and realism
• Alternative uses of immersive technologies
• A commentary on the VR / AR and metaverse industries
• Immersive and the arts
• Meta’s seismic influence on metaverse discussions and VR development
• How immersive marketing can be impactful
• Bibliography

Have you ever been confused by conversations around the metaverse? You are not alone. If you have been frustrated by the conversations, I can assure you that you are not alone, too.

Ever since the spike in interest during 2021, thousands of companies and pseudo-professionals ruffled through their websites and strapped the word to as many of their marketing materials as possible, capitalising on an explosion of interest. Suddenly, companies that hosted private virtual worlds are building towards a metaverse, or AR companies are mapping out the world to build it out. A comparable situation happened in 2017 when Bitcoin exploded in value and ‘blockchain’ was bolted on the side of new start-ups seeking venture funding.

Not all of these companies are providing substantial contributions to the discussions. The worst cases are companies that see they have a private world, and label it as a metaverse. The conversation will become nuanced over 2022 and beyond, but currently, it is a rush of companies identifying a new business opportunity.

If you ask any of these companies what the metaverse is, you will get a range of different answers. Some say it is a super internet where people can access experiences, zipping through the metaverse and going surfing, climbing, socialising and more. Others say it is a wholly social experience, where friends can hang out and conduct activities together. Still, others see it as a layer of reality, not a separate one: an overlay of information as people walk around the world. The madness of the conversations stems from the myriad of conversations that clutter social and mainstream media, obfuscating the view with a pyramid of poor takes.