Neal Stephenson, known for coining the term “metaverse” in his 1992 book, Snow Crash, is continuing to advance his blockchain project, Lamina1, despite a decline in interest and declarations of the metaverse being “dead.”
Search interest in the metaverse has decreased in 2023 compared to its peak in 2021 and 2022, as per Google Trends data. This waning interest has led some to claim that the metaverse hype has fizzled out. However, Lamina1, the metaverse blockchain project founded by Stephenson, remains committed to its vision.
Lamina1 is organizing a month-long event in October called the “Open Metaverse Discovery Month.” This event will include workshops, joint quests, and bounties aimed at empowering builders and creators with the knowledge to explore metaverse experiences.
The Lamina1 team stated, “We’re co-hosting two interactive workshops for Unity and Unreal Engine developers this month to begin diving in with the toolkit, as well as two Creator Competitions that will allow participants to have their art and experiences featured on our Lamina1 Hub platform.”
Rebecca Barkin, the CEO of Lamina1, remains optimistic about the metaverse despite the notion that it’s no longer a hot topic. Barkin mentioned that, since the project’s launch, it has attracted nearly 50,000 builders into its community. She believes that as long as people continue to invest time and money in digital experiences, gaming, virtual world-building, buying and selling digital items, and experimenting with new technologies, the metaverse will continue to evolve.
Barkin also emphasized that Neal Stephenson’s vision of the metaverse goes beyond just creating virtual worlds. She sees it as a means to challenge “corporate greed and control.” With today’s technology, it is now possible to empower creators across various industries, such as entertainment, gaming, commerce, and fashion, to have more autonomy in building, creating, and distributing these virtual worlds independently.
