This tutorial aims to provide an understanding of the fundamental concept of decentralization within the metaverse context. We will explore how decentralization is integrated into virtual worlds and its advantages.
By the end of this tutorial, you will have a basic understanding of:
Basic understanding of blockchain technology and programming knowledge is beneficial but not strictly necessary.
Decentralization refers to the distribution and delegation of functions, powers, people, or things away from a central location or authority. In the context of the metaverse, decentralization means that no single entity has control over the entire network. Instead, control is shared among many different entities, each of which operates independently.
A good example of this is Decentraland, a decentralized virtual world where users can create, explore, and trade digital assets. Instead of being owned by a single company, Decentraland is governed by a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO), where decisions are made collectively by its members.
When exploring the decentralized metaverse, always remember:
Here is a simple example of how you can interact with Decentraland's DAO using JavaScript:
// Import the Decentraland's DAO SDK
const {DAO} = require('decentraland-dao')
// Instantiate the DAO
const dao = new DAO({provider: 'https://mainnet.infura.io'})
// Get the total supply of MANA (Decentraland's cryptocurrency)
dao.mana.totalSupply().then(totalSupply => {
console.log(`Total supply of MANA: ${totalSupply}`)
})
In this example, we used the Decentraland's DAO SDK to interact with the DAO. We instantiated the DAO and fetched the total supply of MANA, Decentraland's cryptocurrency.
To further your understanding, explore other decentralized metaverse platforms like CryptoVoxels and Somnium Space. Dive deeper into the programming aspect by learning Solidity, the primary language for developing smart contracts on Ethereum.
Research another decentralized metaverse platform and identify the unique aspects of its decentralization.
Write a simple JavaScript code to interact with a DAO in your chosen metaverse platform.