Soon you will be able to walk around an exact replica of the Earth in digital
"Oasis is the most important economic resource in the world", is heard in the trailer of the film Ready Player One . The story follows in the footsteps of young Wade Owen Watts, a video game player from the year 2045 who, like the rest of humanity, prefers OASIS virtual reality meta-universe to the increasingly bleak real world.
Earth 2, for now, is in its early stages of development, but it is just that: a metaverse, that is, a complete virtual world that, in this case, exactly replicates every corner of the Earth . For now, the platform is not "the largest economic resource" we know, as the science fiction film claimed, but it is is attracting buyers from all over the world , who seek to take over the most iconic land on our planet in the virtual environment.
"In a way, it is bought as a possible investment for the future , given the prospect of a possible Earth 2 boom and that it becomes an ecosystem that supports the new era of entertainment based on mixed reality and virtual reality, above all," José Manuel de la Chica explains to Traveler. professor in the University Expert program in Agile Methodologies at the International University of La Rioja (UNIR).
The expert relates it to what has been happening with the market launch of successive cryptocurrencies , among which Bitcoin is perhaps the best known to the non-specialized public. An example: recently, it was ten years since the payment of 10,000 Bitcoins for two family pizzas , an amount that now translates to about $90 million.
For the uninitiated in the goings-on of the digital world, it may sound strange that pay for something as elusive as bits , but, lately, we have all become a bit familiar with this form of investment thanks to a striking piece of news that has flooded the media: "Buying a digital file, an image, seemed crazy until recently, and yet we have seen a few months ago how Mike Winkelmann sold a painting in JPG for 69 million dollars thanks to the market for NFTs ('non-fungible tokens')," says de la Chica. " The purchase of land in Earth2 is based on the same model : create a community, which decides that something digital can have the same value as something tangible or physical and decides to trade and generate income with it".
HOW DO YOU EARN MONEY IN EARTH 2?
But how exactly do you make money on this platform? "In principle, step one to make money is to become an owner and buy territories made up of as many 10x10 meter grids as you like", the expert begins. Right now, for example, the price per grid at the Puerta de Alcalá in Madrid is 7.7 dollars (6.3 euros). Times Square, however, the price is 57.2 dollars (47 euros).Of course, both places have already been acquired, so you should try to buy it from whoever already has it, in a classic buying and selling exercise, only that in the virtual world.
"Once the user has land, he will start receiving income through what the platform calls 'land income taxes' , as other new settlers arrive in their country and settle down. Countries are listed and revalued in Earth 2 based on free land, strategic level, and number of owners in a given country, etc. There are true experts in maximizing the benefit of an investment based on its revaluation", continues de la Chica.
"The more territory a buyer has, the more money they will collect through 'land rent taxes' . The better the purchase, the more it will appreciate over time, which is why, the repurchase of strategic territories is beginning to be frequent seen some returns on the platform" -that sale of squares in the Puerta de Alcalá that we were talking about before-.
Or, in simpler words: "Let's say that it is a kind of evolution of that history of who buys land in the hope that a shopping center will be built , an amusement park or a buyer appears with an interesting project that pays him more for his territory", clarifies de la Chica. "The idea is that the inhabitants of this environment generate a new economy that has Earth 2 as a scenario".
Thus, although it is taking its first steps right now -and therefore has especially advantageous prices- it is, according to the professor of a bet for the future , which may or may not turn out well, like any investment of this type: "I advise not to lose perspective and see it as a game , what it is. It's no more realistic to buy grid than a weapon within League of Legends or Fortnite or a random cryptocurrency generated by a company almost like a digital meme."
WHAT EXACTLY IS EARTH 2?
She tells us about the Girl: Earth 2 is a digital replica of the Earth at 1:1 scale where any location can be visited just as we would on the real physical earth . The difference is that in this case, we will be immersed in a 100% virtual environment that will evolve and grow over the next few years, with the aim of allowing trading, building, experimenting, exploring content and interacting with other users through experiences and of an alternative but realistic economy ", begins the expert.
"For example, what the growing community of Earth2 users are most looking forward to right now is the game release , thanks to which it will be possible residents interact with each other and above all, they can immersively explore any location on this hyper-realistic copy of the Earth".
"Like also, Earth 2 it is a clone that is kept updated As locations change in the real world, the virtual world will too. In the future, it would even be possible for mobile devices or connected cars to develop experiences that combine the physical and digital worlds through the use of Mixed Reality".
"In the future, virtual living spaces will be established where there will be businesses, shops, advertising spaces, etc, similar to how past solutions like Second Life did, but in an environment that seeks to be more like the OASIS of Ready Player One, albeit much more true to the real Earth as we know it , explains the teacher.
Thus, its development virtual reality world it is "the great ambition of its creators", according to de la Chica. "Not for nothing are they involved in the project Dillon Seo , co-founder of Oculus -virtual reality company that bought Facebook-, or David Novakovich , one of Australia's foremost tech innovators who already has experience with journey and flight-based digital project engines."
THE FUTURE OF EARTH 2: THE BEST PLATFORM TO VIRTUALLY VISIT THE EARTH?
Obviously, nobody knows, but La Chica tells us his predictions: "The first thing to say is that despite the noise generated, and the one to come, It is a project that is just being born, very ambitious , and that it will be released to the public in phases. From the point of view of a traveler interested in technology and innovation, I find it very curious to follow from one point of view to almost sociological . I think that here more than ever that of 'what is interesting is not the destination, but the journey'".
"I am much more interested in construction and design of this land and as a technological innovation that as an investment system, of which nothing can be said other than that it is only one more function of the software that is being built, like so many applications. And soon it is expected to be published mobile app , which they say will be a kind of portal to navigate Earth 2.".
In addition, the expert points out that the company is looking, above all, for its sustainability over time , to avoid failures similar to those experienced with Second Life, a Virtual Community launched in June 2003 that is still active, but in a rather humble way.
"In any case, there are other projects slightly similar that approach the business of the metaverse with an approach somewhat similar to Upland, High Fidelity -in which the founders of the original Second Life participate-, Neos or Voxelus, much less ambitious and closer to traditional virtual environments", points out de la Chica.
Likewise, the news recently broke that Decentraland, one of the companies dedicated to managing and selling the properties of these virtual cities, has sold more than 50 million dollars to date, including land, avatars, properties and accessories. Other virtual universes, such as Somnium Space, have also managed properties for more than $500,000.
"At the moment, Earth 2 is just a future promise , but the quality of what has been built behind it promises at least one interesting game for immersive travel around the world . For me, this is where they have a unique opportunity to make a difference. Offer something unique in the market and, in the absence of seeing how it evolves, it can mean something really interesting and different, and for that, you just have to see the noise it is generating in the community and the great debate and controversies that arise around the platform. We'll see if in a few years we talk about it as a bluff or uncover as the revolution of virtual travel and realistic immersive experiences through that second Earth , concludes of the Girl.