At the World Economic Forum 2022, the Vice President of the Lego Group expressed his opinion that the metaverse should be developed from the perspective of children. 

Lego at WEF 2022 and views on the Metaverse and Web3

According to reports, some of the topics discussed at WEF 2022 were the metaverse and Web3. 

Specifically, speaking on the topic of “The Possibilities of the Metaverse” were Philip Rosedale, co-founder of High Fidelity; Pascal Kaufmann, founder of the Mindfire Foundation; Peggy Johnson, CEO of Magic Leap; Hoda AlKhzaimi, assistant research professor at New York University in Abu Dhabi; and Edward Lewin, vice president of the Lego Group.

Lewin himself described how the metaverse should be built for children. 

In this regard, here are his words:

“One in three people using the internet are young adults and children, so I would really focus on building from kids’ perspective, given they are the future users”.

Learning through the metaverse

Lewin also cited the example of the volcano, namely that for children (or adults), learning about the volcano through a two-dimensional book and seeing it in augmented reality are two very different experiences. 

According to him, therefore, the metaverse could be a great way for future generations to learn. 

Other speakers also expressed their thoughts on the subject. Johnson, for instance, mentioned the use of augmented reality in the medical field and predicted that the metaverse will facilitate complex jobs in various fields of work.

AlKhzaimi emphasized the need to rebel against current systems in order to build a formidable digital world, while Kaufmann stated that the metaverse will be the place where science will be revolutionized. 

The project with Epic Games dedicated to children

At the beginning of April, Epic Games announced it was collaborating with Lego Group to build a place in the metaverse with new digital and immersive experiences, dedicated to children and families. 

A way to give families access to “safe tools” that offer opportunities for both creators and players. 

The three fundamental points on which the development of the projects, which are the result of this collaboration, are based are the following:

• Protect children’s right to play by making safety and well-being a priority;
• Safeguarding children’s privacy by putting their interests first;
• Empowering children and adults with tools that give them control over their digital experience.

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The collaboration between three big names in gaming, Epic Games, SONY and LEGO, aims to create a new metaverse.

Epic Games, SONY and LEGO are creating a metaverse

On Monday, it was reported that SONY had taken a substantial $1 billion step in the direction of the metaverse, an investment in the development and subsequent enhancement of Epic Games‘ revolutionary “Unreal Engine 5” development engine.

SONY is not the only investor. Another billion comes from Kiribi, the company that owns LEGO, among other things. The brick company will play a fundamental role in the operation, because there is obviously a common project.

The creation of a metaverse through the know-how of Sony in video games and the age-old ability of the company of Danish origin to create parallel worlds and entertain (as well as stimulate ingenuity) children from all over the world. 

Unreal Engine 5 is already a successful engine used for must-haves like Fortnite or the latest chapter of the critically acclaimed Kingdom Hearts IV, which holds the record for gaming expansion to date. 

The new development team is working on the creation of a metaverse for children in which it will be possible to interact, play any game, buy or sell courses, expansions, games themselves or gadgets, all via crypto or virtual credit cards. 

Mastercard enters the metaverse

Mastercard is entering the metaverse with the aim of creating a transversal tool that can be used in any virtual world. 

To this end, the US company has filed trademarks and patents for this possibility with the US Patent and Trademark Office. 

A total of 15 applications have been filed, covering both the payment method and the name and logo of the two intersecting circles. 

The functions that the project will develop include plans to process virtual cards, deploy entertainment and educational services in the metaverse, and create a marketplace for authenticated digital goods. 

Tim Sweeney’s plan

About the plan, Epic Games (valued at $31.5 billion) CEO Tim Sweeney said there is a need to:

“Build a digital kingdom by creating spaces where players can have fun with friends, brands can build creative and engaging experiences, and creators can build communities”.

This represents a milestone towards this new metaverse designed specifically for young children. 

Among the project’s priorities is to put the well-being of children first, protect their privacy and give parents and children the opportunity to form their own virtual experience in a safe and complete way. 

The CEO continues: 

“Lego has captured the attention of children and adults through creative play for nearly a century, and we are thrilled to collaborate in building a space in the metaverse that can be fun, entertaining and designed for children and families”.

Joining the race for the metaverse are, with different projects, the more mainstream Meta and Microsoft with its collaboration with Activision. 

Nintendo, which remains a purist in video games due to its corporate policy, is not participating. 

Metaverse is also about solidarity. It has just been announced that the latest chapter of Fortnite will donate its profits to help the Ukrainian population, victims of the last great conflict of the millennium. 

Among the charities that have contributed are Direct Relief, United Nation Children’s fund Today and the World Food Program. 

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LEGO Group partners with Epic Games to build a place in the metaverse, with new digital and immersive experiences, dedicated to children and families. 

LEGO with Epic Games enters the metaverse for children

Epic Games, the American developer and publisher of video games and software, has announced a new collaboration with the LEGO Group to build new immersive, digital experiences dedicated to children. 

The idea is to give families access to “safe tools” that offer opportunities for both creators and players. 

In this regard, Niels B Christiansen, CEO of The LEGO Group said:

“Children love to play in the digital and physical worlds and move seamlessly between the two. We believe there is huge potential for them to develop lifelong skills such as creativity, collaboration and communication through digital experiences. But we have a responsibility to make them safe, stimulating and beneficial for everyone. Just as we have protected children’s rights to safe physical play for generations, we are committed to doing the same for digital play. We look forward to working with Epic Games to shape this exciting and playful future.”

Specifically, LEGO Group and Epic Games have agreed on three principles upon which the “safety” of digital spaces will be based as follows:

• Protect children’s right to play by making safety and well-being a priority;
• Safeguarding children’s privacy by putting their interests first;
• Empowering children and adults with tools that give them control over their digital experience.

The two together combine their expertise for the well-being of children

Tim Sweeney, CEO and founder of Epic Games also commented on the announcement:

“The LEGO group has captured the imaginations of children and adults through creative play for nearly a century, and we’re thrilled to join forces to build a space in the metaverse that’s fun, entertaining and made for kids and families.”

Epic Games has direct experience in building creative tools and immersive worlds that are open and accessible to both developers and players around the world. In 2020, it acquired SuperAwesome, a company that pioneered technology designed to provide safe digital engagement with children under 16.

LEGO, on the other hand, is the leading company in defining safe digital play experiences for children. In 2016, LEGO launched the first fully live moderated social app for children.

Games and metaverse: the case of Amazon

The e-commerce, cloud computing, digital streaming and artificial intelligence giant, Amazon, has also immersed itself in the games and metaverse sector. 

Late last month, Amazon launched AWS Cloud Quest, a paid-for 3D online game in which players move through a virtual city helping people solve real-world technology problems and use cases through the cloud. 

This is a first experience for Amazon in the virtual world of the metaverse, which should provide new momentum for its Amazon Web Service. 

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