Roblox CEO doubles down on the virtual Metaverse

Roblox CEO Dave Baszucki (aka Builderman) has emphasized the importance of the Metaverse, the incoming digital space for virtual experiences. Penning a piece at WIRED, Baszucki said that virtual events—like group meetups, work meetings, and concerts—will become widespread beyond gaming. His prediction? As soon as this year.

"Over the course of 2021, the Metaverse will experience widespread use, and start to become a human co-experience utility," said Baszucki. "People will meet in virtual worlds not just to play a game, but also to check out a new movie trailer or laugh at user-generated videos. Education will move from learning to code online to learning core sciences with physics or biology simulations and ultimately becoming an immersive environment where classrooms are organised within it."

The Metaverse is a virtual shared space where users interact online in 3D Worlds. We've seen the likes of the Metaverse as early as VPL Research's Datasuit (a complete virtual reality suit) in the 1980s, and with Linden Lab's Second Life. Of course, Epic Games's Fornite and Baszucki's very own Roblox—the Lil Nas X virtual concert as just one example—have embraced their games as more than just video games, but as platforms with the Metaverse vision in mind.

Related: Roblox files to go Public on the U.S. Stock Market

Baszucki also said that the Metaverse will become widespread as soon as 2021. This might come as a surprise, as VR headsets are yet to even become a household norm. But Baszucki emphasized that the effects of the 2020 pandemic (like social distancing) served as the catalyst to online virtual environments. In 2021, he envisions a more normalized embracing of the Metaverse, which includes more virtual concerts, work meetings, and new forms of entertainment that will launch new careers.

"Perhaps the greatest opportunity it presents is to bring together people from all walks of life and foster a civil digital society," said Baszucki.

What do you think? Will the Metaverse become a normal part of our lives in 2021?

If you're looking for free rewards in Roblox, we have a ton of codes available in our Roblox Game Codes post! You can also get a bunch of free stuff via our Roblox Promo Codes page.