Wagner James Au will tell us Why the Metaverse Matters in a book

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For a guy who was an embedded journalist inside the virtual world of Second Life, this whole metaverse thing is a ride around the merry-go-round again.

And so Wagner James Au, who previously wrote a book on his Second Life experiences, is now writing a book dubbed Why the Metaverse Matters: From Second Life to Meta & Beyond, A Guide by Its First Embedded Journalist.

Wiley plans to publish the book in early to mid-2023, around the 20th anniversary of Second Life. Au is in a good position to write that book, but let’s hope for his sake that the metaverse is still going to be a super-hyped thing, or perhaps a reality, by that time. The metaverse is envisioned as the universe of virtual worlds that are all interconnected, like in novels such as Snow Crash and Ready Player One.

In an interview with GamesBeat, Au said his focus is on the metaverse user communities, especially the grassroots creators, which make these platforms meaningful. He will explore the continued influence of Second Life on the evolution of the metaverse platforms, and uncover the mystery of Second Life — how it managed to inspire so many but hasn’t been able to grow beyond a niche of passionate users.

MetaBeat 2022

MetaBeat will bring together metaverse thought leaders to give guidance on how metaverse technology will transform the way all industries communicate and do business on October 3-4 in San Francisco, CA.

And he will also explore whether the blockchain fits or doesn’t — especially with the new company Neal Stephenson just co-founded, Lamina1, dedicated to the making of the open