Metaverse

The stories that form the building blocks of our lives are not constructed by a single storyteller, but emerge spontaneously through the combination of countless inputs from the physical and digital world.

Could a platform that builds reality-defining stories be successfully imitated by technology? Popularium co-founder Arka Ray formulates the creation of a platform for stories that pass the Turing Test.

Twitch averaged 2.78 million concurrent viewers in 2021, making it one of the most trafficked sites on the internet. Once targeted at hard-core gamers, game streaming platforms have evolved into major mainstream media outlets that scratch a universal itch for connection.

Once upon a time, gamers were young, male, and tech-savvy. Now, that player in your Fortnite games could be a woman in her early 20s discovering shooters for the first time, a man in his 50s who’s been gaming since Doom, or even your mom.

As audiences expand from a single demographic to a broad psychographic, developers are forced to accelerate the pace of innovation. New audiences are as hungry as they are diverse, and their demand for groundbreaking content outstrips developers’ capacity to supply. Gamers empowered with tools, time, and money are rushing to fill the gap.

Here’s what happens next.

For Kore Bundt, being good at gaming, proactive in chat, and generally fun to be around led to the dream job; one in which they get to play all day, while making the world a better place. Occasional gaming celebrity visitations are fun, but beside the point: in the streamerverse, all are created equal.

When Katie McKeon-Smith fell in love with life at sea, she did what anyone would do—started a TikTok channel. She’s now an influencer who creates educational content for the massively popular Sea of Thieves. Hop on board as she imparts the Pirate Code to a swarthy bunch of rogues who follow from across the seven seas.