The “metaverse” still has a long way to go before it captures everyone’s attention—especially gamers’.

The “metaverse” still has a long way to go before it captures everyone’s attention—especially gamers’. YPulse’s Metaverse trend research explores the current realities of the buzzword, and how Gen Z and Millennials are already spending time in virtual worlds, largely through the sandbox games the majority of them play. As metaverse hype continues building, it’s important to remember that the concept has existed inside video games for years, and for young people who are already immersed in that space, virtual worlds like Fortnite, Roblox, and Minecraft provide a much more entertaining alternative to the metaverse since it’s largely still undefined. Brands who are entering virtual worlds should take a note from video games and video game developers to ensure the space they’re building out A) provides entertainment value and B) contains an overarching purpose that keeps users coming back. Gen Z is already in the “metaverse,” with over three-fourths saying they play a video game that brings them to a virtual world, so instead of waiting for the future metaverse to arrive, brands have a major opportunity to meet these young consumers in the open world video games they’re already playing. (Financial Times)