Making a Metaverse That Matters: From Snow Crash & Second Life to a Virtual World Worth Fighting for

An up-close account from the world's first metaverse-embedded reporter

In Why the Metaverse Matters: From Second Life to Meta & Beyond, the Promises & Perils of the Next Generation of the Internet, the celebrated author of The Making of Second Life and Game Design Secrets, Wagner James Au, delivers an engrossing exploration of how nascent metaverse platforms have already captured the imagination of millions. Featuring powerful stories and dozens of incisive interviews with insiders including Metaverse creator Neal Stephenson himself, the author uses his unique, grassroots-level perspective as the first reporter embedded in a metaverse platform. Readers will learn about: How to understand and define the Metaverse and cut through the many myths and misconceptions around it. A behind-the-scenes account of launching Second Life, the first metaverse platform to achieve mainstream awareness, and what its many controversies teach us. Where current platforms Meta, Roblox, Fortnite, VRChat, and Lamina1, Neal Stephenson's own metaverse startup, fit in the ecosystem. How to address the many dangers inherent in the Metaverse before it becomes central to the Internet.

Perfect for XR industry members and indie creatives, Why the Metaverse Matters is also for tech professionals, virtual world communities, and anyone interested in the future of culture and commerce.