Architect Novelist – The craze for metaverses is very recent. However, these virtual worlds already existed in the early 1990s, at least on paper. This author who had imagined metaverses in his writings, now wants to build a more concrete virtual world.
A metaverse from the pages of a novel
Many Snow Crash readers regard this 1992 novel by Neal Stephenson as the precursor of the metaverses.
The author admits however that at the time, by imagining the metaverses, he had not foreseen the emergence of the web3. But 30 years later, reality is catching up with the fiction of yesteryear.
And the author of Snow Crash does not want to remain a mere spectator of the birth of different metaverses. Neal Stephenson also wants to be the architect.
In this context, it announced on June 8, 2022, his collaboration with a cryptocurrency pioneer, Peter Vessenes. The latter describe moreover as a technologist belonging to the generation inspired by Neal Stephenson.
Lamina1 or the argument for a green and free world
What does this duo actually plan to achieve? Their partnership aims to create the Lamina1 blockchain focused on open metaverses.
This project will focus in particular on the integration of virtual and augmented reality. It would also help artists and other creators of value to receive fair remuneration for their work.
But Lamina1 also presents two arguments that could play in favor of its adoption. The first concerns the respect of environment. The blockchain promises a negative carbon footprint, with supporting evidence.
The second argument plays on the fiber of freedom. Lamina1 would indeed lay the foundations of a “free metaverse”. In this sense, its construction would not be marked out by “the vision of the metaverse co-opted by the monopolies”.
But beyond these ideological and technical arguments, Lamina1 obviously benefits from the reputation of Neal Stephenson.
Marketing speech or awareness, the author has also proceeded to a kind updating his novel. He tried to link his work to decentralization. To put it simply, no element in Snow Crash could exist according to its author, without a decentralized payment system.
What is the real potential of Neal Stephenson’s metaverse? Will Lamina1 stand out enough to be able to exist against its competitors? Or is it ultimately just one umpteenth useless virtual world further inflating the current bubble until it bursts?
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