Meta, the new name for the parent company Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has released the Horizon Worlds virtual reality platform for testing in the United States and Canada.
It is part of the company leader Mark Zuckerberg’s plan to explore the possibilities of the metaverse, a digital environment that mixes the physical and virtual worlds, where people interact through avatars.
Thousands of volunteers can visit virtual public squares in the digital universe and participate in games, conversations and events. In one of these experiments, a woman reported that her virtual avatar was “groped” by a stranger.
In recent weeks, different abusive behaviors have been reported, including what is now considered the first case of sexual harassment recorded in the history of this platform, which is a metaverse environment: a term used to describe immersive shared spaces accessed through different platforms, where the physical and the digital converge.
In other words, a separate “virtual world”, controlled by real people.
The incident took place in the Plaza, Horizon Worlds’ main public environment, on November 26th.
In the complaint, the victim wrote that “sexual harassment is not a joke on the normal internet, but being in virtual reality adds a whole new layer that makes the event even more intense”.
The volunteer, whose name was not disclosed, reported that other people present at the time “supported the behavior” and did not provide any help, which made her even more uncomfortable.
Company is considering improving blocking functions
The project’s vice president, Vivek Sharma, told The Verge that the case was “absolutely unfortunate” and said the company has already analyzed what happened.
However, Sharma claimed that the victim himself could have used security mechanisms present in the metaverse – the so-called Safe Zone (“Safe Zone”).
“Safe Zone” from the Metaverse Horizon Universe Photo: Reproduction/Facebook
— This is a good feedback for us, because we want to make (the lock feature) easier and findable,” he said.
The Safe Zone, when activated, opens a special menu and creates a “bubble” on the avatar, allowing it to be isolated, put people around you in mute or blocking mode, in addition to allowing you to file complaints.
Meta even recognized that the notification was important, and can use this type of case to facilitate opening safe mode in future releases, making the action more intuitive.
What is the metaverse?
The metaverse is made possible by technologies like virtual reality (VR) glasses, tactile sensor clothing and ultra-fast internet connections, and is already present in popular games like “Roblox”, “Fortnite” and “Minecraft”.
In the case of Horizon Worlds, users use the company’s headphones and headset, Quest 1 and Quest 2, and interact with each other.
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Experts explain that the metaverse found fertile space to develop first in the gaming industry. The attempts began around the 2000s, with virtual games like Second Life, by Linden Lab.
After a series of attempts to consolidate this virtual space, games like Roblox and Fortnite are considered the main protagonists that have already formalized their entry into the metaverse.
Both platforms typically deliver a series of immersive experiences capable of serving thousands of users in real time.
billionaire market
According to projections by Bloomberg Intelligence Unit, the metaverse should move US$ 800 billion by 2024.
Emerged in the gaming world, this digital reality entered the corporate world, attracted brands and celebrities and hooked consumers eager for novelties, even if only virtual.
Gucci has already sold a Dionysus bag, which only exists in this parallel universe, on the Roblox gaming platform for the equivalent of R$ 21.8 thousand (or 350 thousand Robux, the “local currency”).
And a live avatar of singer Travis Scott in the game Fortnite attracted no less than 12 million people simultaneously.
— The next wave of the internet will be linked to the metaverse. Companies have already understood that being in games is necessary for them to sell their products. The attention of consumers, as it is today on social networks, will be in this environment. And, of course, companies will need to be there — says André Micelli, coordinator of the MBA in Marketing and Digital Business at FGV.
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5G and ‘gadgets’ for immersion
The potential of this new environment feeds a wave of financing for start-ups willing to help build the foundations for the metaverse to be incorporated into the daily lives of billions of people, from leisure to the job market. There are several examples.
Magic Leap, “unicorn” that makes augmented reality glasses, raised $500 million to create a headset.
SoftBank, a giant that is one of the top global lenders for start-ups, has created a fund that will invest $170 million in the Naver Z Corp metaverse platform.
According to data from CB Insights, there are at least 90 start-ups committed to building the metaverse.
This industry ranges from equipment (hardware), through wearables (electronic devices such as virtual reality glasses), 3D computing software and computational processes such as NFTs (acronym for non-fungible tokens, a kind of virtual authenticity seal for virtual objects ) and the blockchain (system that guarantees the safety of the operation).
