How to Build Your Own Virtual Land Empire
Like Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar and Genghis Khan, you too, want to rule the world. But with the real world already ruled by idiots and despots, maybe you should look at creating your own world, but one that can expand further than just your fruitful imagination. One that could even become an economic powerhouse, driven by investment and profit.
In The Beginning…
In 2003, Philip Rosedale did just that and formed Linden Labs. Together they created Second Life. This was the first “virtual world” and ten years later could boast of having over one million users. Players can create avatars, which are virtual representations of themselves, and then these can interact with others along with their virtual environment. You can shop, trade real estate, socialize and participate in a huge number of virtual activities.
What’s more, they even have their own virtual currency, the Linden Dollar (L$). These can be redeemed via PayPal. As far as creating a virtual economy, between Second Life’s inception in 2003, until 2013, a total of $3.2 billion real world dollars of transactions took place. The platform also created the world’s first virtual millionaire, Ailin Graef, who turned an initial $9.95 investment into over one million dollars in the course of just two and a half years as a virtual real estate agent.
Metaverses And NFTs
So it’s all possible. Thanks in part to the rise of a new asset class, the NFT (Non-Fungible Token), along with fungible tokens in the form of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum, we are witnessing the rise of the “Metaverses.” No, that’s not a Michael Bay movie.These are to all intents and purposes, parallel worlds. A better movie example would be Steven Spielberg’s “Ready, Player One.” And a pre-blockchain example of a metaverse game would be Minecraft. As you’re probably aware, this is a sandbox construction video game, played by millions and invented by the Swedish programmer, MarcKus Persson, better known as “Notch.”
Say Hello to Next Earth.io
The basic building blocks of today’s virtual metaverses revolve around the purchase of virtual land. These parcels are then minted onto the blockchain as proof of ownership in the form of NFT’s. A great example of this whole process would be Next Earth.io. You can purchase land parcels from a virtual, one to one, rendition of the real world. You don’t need a big brain to see that, as land is a limited resource, then more buyers equals rising prices. Once you own the land, you’re free to trade it, build properties on it or mine for mineral assets. Or simply stretch out on a virtual deckchair, soaking up some virtual sun, as the price of your land steadily rises.
First Mover Advantages
Probably the best time to get involved with any metaverse is at the beginning. The land prices will start low. As more users pile in, values will rise and then the market will stabilize. Let’s use Next Earth.io as an example, as they will come to market later this month. Early buyers will have the pick of the best locations, which translate as a guaranteed win. Not only that, but by dint of being a landowner, and with Next Earth.io being a decentralized platform, you’ll have voting rights. These can cover everything from the direction of the business, to the charities it chooses to support.
Own Land From Your Sofa
What’s more, you can become a landowner without using a penny of your own money. By being active across the Next Earth social media platforms, including Facebook and Twitter, you’ll receive incentives and rewards for helping blow the trumpet. This will allow you to get in early and then trade up your digital assets, until, you too, have created an empire. Soon you’ll be quoting Caesar, “Veni, vidi, vici.”
