Quickfire Questions With … Oliver Kern Oliver Kern is the CCO of Lockwood Publishing , the Nottingham-based game developer that ’ s been running its own metaverse , Avakin Life , for an audience of more than 200 million people since 2013 .
Quickfire Questions With … Oliver Kern Oliver Kern is the CCO of Lockwood Publishing , the Nottingham-based game developer that ’ s been running its own metaverse , Avakin Life , for an audience of more than 200 million people since 2013 .
Based on major investments we ' re seeing made into metaverse projects , why is big tech so keen on driving ( and , to get cynical ) controlling the future of this trend ? Being honest with you - big tech investing in social spaces isn ’ t a new development . We saw the same thing play out with social media and mobile messaging - wherever an audience goes to spend their time the money will follow .
As to why they ’ re interested in the metaverse specifically - it ’ s about time , knowledge and influence . Every company wants to have users spend their time with them and not someone else . Every company wants to know more about their audience . And every tech company wants to be the one influencing how platforms develop and are used . The metaverse can deliver on all three of these - if you get the experience right , you become the place for all kinds of social and creative activity and that gives brands an unparalleled insight into how an audience thinks , while also ensuring they spend their free time on your platform .
You ’ ve said it ’ s important that Metaverses are developed from the ground up by users , rather than by a select few " tech bros "? Is that a likely or even feasible way for things to play out ? We all make our own choices when it comes to our leisure and creative time - so why should the digital world be any different . As without our users , the metaverse is just an empty space .
The best and only way to create an inclusive world is to involve our users in the creative process . They are the ones showing us how to make Avakin Life an even more compelling place to hang out - then it ’ s on us to deliver those experiences .
What ' s your worst case for a metaverse future ? How close does it look to William Gibson ' s book ? The worst case isn ’ t a digital dystopia - it ’ s a series of worlds so boring that no one wants to visit them . That ’ s why it ’ s so vital that users are involved in developing the future of the metaverse - if it ’ s left to a select few it will become something closed off , corporate and dull . Passion and joy will be replaced by worthiness and corporate messaging and with every visit you ’ ll question why you ’ re coming back .
98 November 2021