Interview: Raph Koster on The Metaverse, Cloud Native Gaming and Playable Worlds' Project | MMORPG.c

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Interview: Raph Koster on The Metaverse, Cloud Native Gaming and Playable Worlds' Project | MMORPG.com

Have you heard the term Metaverse recently? Is it just a buzz word used to hype a new upcoming game or is it the future of interconnected social interactions? we decided to pose the question to someone who has actually created a Metaverse in the past, MMORPG Legend, Raph Koster!

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Tiller

I don't have time in my life for a Metaverse and it doesn't sound like a causal experience at all. I'm not sure this would do well these days since there are less "no-lifers" than in the early 2000s.

I don't even like taking the time order diner on the Doordash app much less spend time in a Metaverse working a second job. Do I need Metaverse to read Twitter? No. Why would add an extra layer of complexity to my busy life? It doesn't sound like an escape to me.

Iselin

The metaverse is indeed a very nebulous term and I didn't find Raph's thoughts on it particularly encouraging in the sense that no one has ever yet said anything that resonates with me as to why this would be a good or useful thing.

What he said actually brought to mind some science fiction movies where holographic billboards and wall plaques are everywhere and they sense when you're near and custom tailor some message (usually ads of course) to you as you pass by. Sort of like Google hell, IMO  

Theocritus

Every time I hear the word "metaverse" it is usually associated with someone trying to make money off of it.....WE cant even get a good "uni"verse more or less a meta......

Champie

1 hour 47 minutes of Raph Koster trying to rationalize his wasted life of empty and meaningless outcomes.

maskedweasel

Torval said:

Iselin said:

The metaverse is indeed a very nebulous term and I didn't find Raph's thoughts on it particularly encouraging in the sense that no one has ever yet said anything that resonates with me as to why this would be a good or useful thing.

What he said actually brought to mind some science fiction movies where holographic billboards and wall plaques are everywhere and they sense when you're near and custom tailor some message (usually ads of course) to you as you pass by. Sort of like Google hell, IMO  

You mean like this?

https://www.wsj.com/articles/walgreens-tests-digital-cooler-doors-with-cameras-to-target-you-with-ads-11547206200

At least Blade Runner had a dark gritty texture to the world. This article just feels like peak boring dystopia.

Anyway, I get Raph being shy with details because at this point there is probably so much more to lose than gain by divulging ideas, possibilities, and plans. That said, one statement I've seen repeated that kind of bothers me is trying to be crystal clear that this is an MMO made for MMO gamers. There are a lot of different kinds of MMO gamers and I have no idea what that statement really implies or who this is being targeted at.

I've seen those walgreens doors! I can see them doing something like that with HUDs in the future. 

Like how amazon sold two versions of their fire tablets. One had ads running on it for a little bit cheaper than the one without ads. I could see them doing the very same thing with smart glasses in the future. You'll pay extra to opt out of advertising for devices you already own. 

I'm still pretty interested in a metaverse... as long as the worlds are worth something. 

Scorchien

Raph if you burst into my house to steal the TV my 3 dogs are going to rip you to shreds , i will shoot any parts left moving ...

just sayin

Scot

We need to see some ideas on gameplay, that is the only way I could reach a judgement about this; so far the metaverse just seems to be a structure in which you do things. It is what you are doing that will swing this one way or the other. 

OldKingLog

Scot said:

We need to see some ideas on gameplay, that is the only way I could reach a judgement about this; so far the metaverse just seems to be a structure in which you do things. It is what you are doing that will swing this one way or the other. 

We won't get any idea on game play because as of yet they don't have any. What these jokers are doing is trying to cobble together a digital front end universe for you to interact with. With I might add all the annoying incestuous corporate shilling and hard sells of the current internet. Its not hard to imagine what they are shooting for as much of the cyberpunk fiction culture has yammered on about it for decades. The problem is, is that these companies think they can create a real life Snow Crash, or the Matrix. But all its really going to be is a stupid 3D VR, never ending infomercial. Thanks but no thanks.

ashiru_1978

I still am not 100% what a metaverse is, but from what I DO understand, it doesn't sound remotely interesting or exciting to me. I can't imagine how playing a metaverse game will enrich my experience in any way.

To me it just sounds boring and some fad like the current lazy fads of Battle Royale and Survival "Sandbox" games that are easily the laziest attempts at games and yet somehow surprisingly popular. I can only see the metaverse as some kind of a fad that will attract the same people who are attracted to every fad, but for real gamers who prefer playing real games, it will never be something interesting or fun.

I think Raph Koster's project is doomed to fail and I think people would have been much more excited if he was making a new MMORPG instead.

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Utinni

What?

Mendel

This is what happens when a committee of businessmen try to make a game; they look at the wallet before the product.

Quizzical

Scot said:

We need to see some ideas on gameplay, that is the only way I could reach a judgement about this; so far the metaverse just seems to be a structure in which you do things. It is what you are doing that will swing this one way or the other. 

Your first mistake is to assume that the metaverse will have any gameplay.

Quizzical

"Due to the cloud-native architecture, players will see numerous benefits, like greater security and the absence of enormous downloads or patches. Cloud-native gaming isn't perfect, there will be some minor, but inherent problems, such as increased latency, but Koster believes the benefits of a cloud-native approach outweigh the problems players often have when games are largely kept client-side."

That sure makes it sound like the game is going to rendered remotely and then streamed to you, rather than being rendered locally. If you know that that is how a game is going to be rendered, there are some things that you can do to make it less bad than it would otherwise be. The question is whether they'll build the game around needing to make streaming not be terrible. We'll have to wait and see, but I'd bet on an answer of "no".

saker

first and most basic thing to remember, anything the zuckerberg-creature does, wants, is pushing is pure-evil, pure-and-simple (and yes probably the "product" of his lizard people from the 8th dimension!)

BrotherMaynard

Often when reading this site I am not sure anymore whether I'm reading new trendy buzzwords or typos...

kjempff

I have much respect for Raph Koster.
But all this highly abstract talk about metaverse tells me nething useful.
In all honesty I am pretty sure I don't like any form of metaverse, at least I can not see a scenario where it is a positive direction for humanity; it seem to only benefits megacorps and those who seek control over people.

As for a virtual world game, sure that could be good and possibly the only way this sad mmo genre could redeen itself... Obviously, this entirely comes down to the datails, to the game design, the systems and so on.
And for information about this we hear only ambigious talk from Raph, it could in any direction.

Meta-something-tion over whatever that virtual world game turns out to be is at this point irrelevant. However, whether it be nft or tighter blending of real life with game (the ultimate immersion breaker), I really don't want it.
I have plenty of getting meta Zucked on facebook and other "social" platforms; I don't want it in my games aswell.

Machkeznho

I have more important things to do like rearranging my sock drawer, counting spots on the wall, or literally anything else.

maskedweasel

Datastar said:

I have more important things to do like rearranging my sock drawer, counting spots on the wall, or literally anything else.

But what if you could rearrange your virtual sock drawer? 

Theocritus

Quizzical said:

Scot said:

We need to see some ideas on gameplay, that is the only way I could reach a judgement about this; so far the metaverse just seems to be a structure in which you do things. It is what you are doing that will swing this one way or the other. 

Your first mistake is to assume that the metaverse will have any gameplay.

IT will have NFT's, Blockchain, and crypto...Everything for the modern gamer......

Machkeznho

maskedweasel said:

Datastar said:

I have more important things to do like rearranging my sock drawer, counting spots on the wall, or literally anything else.

But what if you could rearrange your virtual sock drawer? 

Im sure I can find a more than adequate Sock Drawer Simulator on steam without having to buy a stupid set of face goggles.

Quizzical

Datastar said:

maskedweasel said:

Datastar said:

I have more important things to do like rearranging my sock drawer, counting spots on the wall, or literally anything else.

But what if you could rearrange your virtual sock drawer? 

Im sure I can find a more than adequate Sock Drawer Simulator on steam without having to buy a stupid set of face goggles.

The closest thing I could find is this:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1222340/Sockventure/

I haven't played it and have no clue whether it is any good.  But it's kind of surprising how close you can get to some arbitrarily random theme.

cameltosis

ashiru_1978 said:

I still am not 100% what a metaverse is, but from what I DO understand, it doesn't sound remotely interesting or exciting to me. I can't imagine how playing a metaverse game will enrich my experience in any way.



To me it just sounds boring and some fad like the current lazy fads of Battle Royale and Survival "Sandbox" games that are easily the laziest attempts at games and yet somehow surprisingly popular. I can only see the metaverse as some kind of a fad that will attract the same people who are attracted to every fad, but for real gamers who prefer playing real games, it will never be something interesting or fun.



I think Raph Koster's project is doomed to fail and I think people would have been much more excited if he was making a new MMORPG instead.

First up, Raph Koster and Playable Worlds are building an MMORPG first. That is their primary goal, they are building a new game for us to enjoy. We don't have any details yet, but Raph has been very clear that they are building the game first.

Second, they are building their new MMORPG using technology that would make it work within a metaverse. The metaverse is a secondary objective for them, the game comes first.

Third, playing something within a metaverse won't change your gameplay experience one bit. Its not supposed to. A metaverse is simply a way of connecting a whole bunch of separate experiences together. The experiences aren't supposed to change, only your method of accessing and paying for those experiences. In the best case scenario, this should be a good thing as it'll make it more convenient for us. In the worst case, it'll just be a way to trap you within a single ecosystem, the devs will harvest even more personal data and exploit us for all we're worth.

kjempff

cameltosis said:

ashiru_1978 said:

Third, playing something within a metaverse won't change your gameplay experience one bit. Its not supposed to. A metaverse is simply a way of connecting a whole bunch of separate experiences together. The experiences aren't supposed to change, only your method of accessing and paying for those experiences. In the best case scenario, this should be a good thing as it'll make it more convenient for us. In the worst case, it'll just be a way to trap you within a single ecosystem, the devs will harvest even more personal data and exploit us for all we're worth.

I don't believe that for a second.
If we look at how f2p which was "just a monetization model" changed the core game design of all the games using it; I have no doubt meta-phizing games will have an effect on games as well.

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