学进去

Cathy Hackl’s son wanted to celebrate his ninth birthday, but he didn’t ask for a party or gifts. He asked if he could hold the celebration on Roblox, a digital platform (数码平台) where users can play and create games. He and his friends wouldn’t meet in person—they would attend the party online.

“They hung out and played and they went to other different games together,” Hackl says. “It happens in a virtual (虚拟的) space but it’s very real to my son.”

Roblox is part of the metaverse (虚拟世界), a “place” similar to the real world. Today, millions of people spend hours a day in online communities. We enter the metaverse through virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), or simply on a screen. These experiences allow a stronger connection between our digital and physical lives. But these two worlds are already mixed together, no headset (头戴式视图器) required. Think about the Google Map. It uses location data to help people find the best way to a place.

The metaverse is part of the Internet. And there are plenty of Internet problems. For example, the personal information may be stolen. These suggest how challenging a future in the metaverse could be. However, many people believe the metaverse has real benefits. They say it can enlarge social networks.

Hackl is a metaverse expert. She’s also Latina (拉丁美洲裔女性). “We need to see people like me in these public-facing roles,” she says. “You can inspire a lot more people to join and say, ‘Hey, I am welcome and highly valued in this metaverse world. I’m sure I can build a different life.’” For those who are already spending part of their life in the metaverse, that building has begun.

Carrie Tatsu runs a business in the metaverse. But she wants her kids to spend as much time as possible in the real world. “It’s so important for humans to be with humans in real life,” she says. “I think that as kids grow up in this space, there must be some outlets for them to be connected with the real world, like tasting the delicious food, feeling the warm light on the face, having a face-to-face conversation with a real friend…any activity that can help them leave the virtual space and share their ideas in real life. Even though you can create a virtual world online, it is not the same as the real one.”