Yat Siu, the founder of Animoca Brands, a company with a substantial investment portfolio in the blockchain industry, envisions a metaverse that leverages blockchain technology to establish digital ownership within Web3 gaming. In contrast to interpretations offered by Meta (formerly Facebook) and Apple, Siu’s metaverse emphasizes the importance of digital property rights over immersive virtual experiences.
Siu’s perspective centers on the concept of digital ownership as a catalyst for transformative growth in digital economies. He posits that a self-sustaining digital economy within the metaverse can only be achieved by introducing the notion of digital ownership, an aspect that goes beyond avatars or virtual reality headsets.
In Siu’s vision, the metaverse should grant individuals intellectual property rights over their data, much like the rights to physical property, life, and liberty in the real world. He critiques the current digital landscape for relinquishing these rights to platforms that hold extensive control over user data.
Within the metaverse, data holds significant power, driving the structures that underpin the digital world’s innovations and advancements. Siu emphasizes that Web3 technology, particularly the concept of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and their transactions, reshapes the dynamics of ownership and payment. Unlike Web2 platforms, where compensation mechanisms differ, the metaverse empowers creators and asset owners, enabling them to reap substantial benefits from multi-billion-dollar transactions.
Siu highlights the potential of blockchain technology, which tracks transactions, ownership, and volumes meticulously. He underscores its utility in providing an organized framework that extends even to regions where traditional banking services are lacking. Decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) also play a role, offering a novel governance structure that could potentially outperform conventional corporate models.
The central theme in Siu’s metaverse concept is true ownership. He likens this to real-world ownership of assets, wherein legal systems, courts, and governance structures secure property rights. Siu contends that digital ownership, facilitated by blockchain, is equally if not more secure than real-world ownership, offering individuals greater control over their digital assets.
Despite concerns about the speculative nature of token prices in Web3, the idea of ownership resonates universally. Siu underscores that decentralization is key to realizing this ownership, much like the mechanisms that safeguard real-world assets. In conclusion, Yat Siu’s vision for the metaverse intertwines blockchain technology, digital ownership, and decentralization to foster a revolutionary digital economy.