Essays

COMP 005: Final Research Project

Disclaimer: Please remember, I provide these essays to you as an outline for your own. Plagiarism, using one's work as your own, can have severe consequences. There are many tools integrated into teaching software that can detect plagiarism. It's also as easy as plugging in one sentence into Google to find this essay. I want these to be available to all those that may need an outline or inspiration for their own assignments, however, I know some have used my work and have been caught. Please, don't just copy and paste my work and earn yourself a zero on the essay or fail your class. Thank you for reading and I truly hope that these essays will help. Good luck! If you ever need a peer reviewer for your essay, message me!

For reference, the specific class was "Intro to Computer Concepts" (COMP 005). Since I am adding this after the class has ended, I do not have the exact instructions/prompt.

"Research a specific topic related to computers and/or the Internet. Write a 3–5 page paper and create a complimentary PowerPoint presentation."

If you'd like some more information on the topic/purpose of this essay, leave a comment!

Grade: 100% 

The Developing Metaverse

We live in a digital age where more and more of our daily tasks are becoming computerized. From simple actions—like taking a digital list on a smartphone to the grocery store rather than one on a slip of paper—to complex systems—like organizing digital databases of customer information rather than keeping papers in a filing cabinet—many practices are moving from our physical world to the digital one. As computers and the Internet become more accessible, people develop technology to enhance and even replace common practices—like handwriting a grocery list. And within recent years, there has been a surge of individuals and companies diving into the metaverse.

The term metaverse is often used to express the development of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) and their use in everyday life. In truth, we don't know what the metaverse is or what it could look like. However, many define the metaverse as a network where people can interact and "live" via a digital platform. All in all, "the term doesn't really refer to any one specific type of technology, but rather a broad (and often speculative) shift in how we interact with technology" (Ravenscraft). As such, the metaverse—a single, expansive, digital plane for people to "exist" in—is impossible. Not only are the technologies needed to access this metaverse (specifically VR and AR) still young, but the raw power also required to support hundreds of thousands if not millions of users at a time isn't feasible with our current technology. With this fact in mind, many now refer to individual platforms as a metaverse. These metaverses include anything from game worlds—like World of Warcraft and Fortnite—to interactive social experiences—like VRChat (Ravenscraft). There are even some that are in between—like Gather.

Gather (or gather.town) is a company and program developed by a group of college graduates in 2020. Their mission is to remove physical constraints from people's lives by developing a virtual metaverse where people can work, socialize, and learn (About Gather). At its core, the program is a video conferencing platform, but the visual elements and level of user intractability with those elements transform it into a unique program. Unlike true game-based metaverses, Gather allows the user total control over the look and use of their space—it's in their hands. The company offers a free website and desktop app and invites users to create their own spaces using Gather's templates and art assets. However, users can upload their own assets and even hire designers to create the perfect space for them. Furthermore, the spaces themselves are used for anything from small family gatherings to remote work offices to huge business conferences (Melendez). Each space a user creates on the platform could be considered a mini—and sometimes large—metaverse. Additionally, individual spaces can be connected to create a web or multiverse of metaverses.