“Think Like A Kid!”: Building Metaverse Might Require Children’s Perspective

Experts feel that you must have the mind of a child while building a Metaverse.

The Metaverse is here, and while the technology powering it is nascent, it is already being adopted by the tech savviest segment of our population- namely the kids. What started as a fringe video gaming technology has emerged as a potential game-changer for life and business, and children are at the frontier of bringing this tech into mass adoption, both as consumers and as creators.

High Fidelity Co-Founder Philip Rosedale, Mindfire Foundation Founder Pascal Kaufman, Magic Leap CEO Peggy Johnson, New York University- Abu Dhabi Assistant Research Professor Hoda Alkhazami, and LEGO Group Vice President joined in a panel discussion on “The Possibilities of the Metaverse” along with Edward Levine. The main point of the discussion revolved around the building blocks of the metaverse and the possibilities of the future. Panelists discussed the role of technological aspects, security, and human emotion in building a sustainable augmented reality-based digital world.

Responding to a question about developments around the Metaverse, Johnson said that the building blocks are in place. “It is in the early stage, but innovation is certainly progressing towards a digital future,” she said.

Johnson went on to cite the use of augmented reality in the medical field and predicted that the Metaverse would make complex jobs easier across different areas of work. Lewin went on to add how augmented reality can change the way children learn today, citing the example of a volcano. He said that learning about a volcano through a two-dimensional book and seeing it in augmented reality are two vastly different experiences, adding, “it could be a great way for learning for future generations.”

Today, kids and adults access the Metaverse mostly for Video Gaming purposes, and on their laptops and desktops, but as Spatial Computing technologies like AR and VR become more mature and cost-effective, we’ll be able to interact with the Metaverse immersively in the 3D space around us.

Though, for kids, the Metaverse is not a new concept. Kids are digital natives, born into a world with 3D multiplayer video games like Roblox and Minecraft, and the concepts of internet identities and digital transactions are familiar. Combine this with the fact that kids are highly imaginative, and we can quickly recognize the important role they will play in shaping the Metaverse future.

However, in the discussion, the panel agreed on the need for building a place that prioritizes the privacy and security of individuals and allows them to be whatever they want to be.