The metaverse has moved past being a buzzword to potentially becoming a trillion-dollar industry, opening up the doors to a new world of digital opportunities. From developers to 3D designers and architectures, the creation of virtual worlds and infrastructures will require the help of many professionals with skills including coding, 3D modeling and blockchain technology. Whether you already have the necessary experience or you’re looking to get started, here’s a closer look at the metaverse and ways of becoming a metaverse developer.
What Is The Metaverse?
First things, first - what is the metaverse? As the result of it being still an emerging technology, there's no widely accepted definition of the metaverse but simply the metaverse is a shared virtual space that is hyper realistic, immersive and interactive thanks to the use of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technology. Some metaverses, like Sensorium Galaxy, will have several virtual worlds within it, where people can engage in a wide range of activities like attending music concerts or dancing the AI-driven virtual beings.
A recent survey of game developers in the United States found that over half of respondents settled on a definition that included a combination of multiple elements of technology, including virtual reality, augmented reality and video where users lived within a virtual world.
At its core, a metaverse is a mix between physical and digital that promises to be more appealing than current online infrastructures. We delved deeper into this topic in an earlier post.
What are the main responsibilities of a metaverse developer?
Designing and producing 3D assets for interactive and immersive worlds is one of the main tasks of a metaverse developer. These virtual items can range from infrastructures to games and experiences, but there’s no limitation to the creations that can be pursued inside the metaverse. Developers are responsible for building environments that run smoothly and are able to effectively integrate users into virtual experiences.
Technical Skills a Metaverse Developer Needs
Building a metaverse requires a number of technical skills, especially in connection to technologies like virtual and augmented reality as well as artificial intelligence and blockchain. This are some of the skills and tools to look at:
Programming: The most essential skill for any metaverse developer is knowing programming languages, namely Swift, Python and JavaScript.
Software development: Fluency in software development tools is also crucial and developers can choose concrete areas of application like gaming, web or mobile development. Across all of these, developers should be knowledgeable in code architecture as well as UI/UX development, use of specific API and third-party libraries, along with security practices.
3D modeling: Creating 3D objects in the metaverse is not only essential to its expansion but also a great creative outlet for developers and users alike, who can even sell their creations as NFTs or collectibles. In this case, a developer is expected to be familiar with 3D modeling and there are multiple platforms that can be used for high quality assets, including Unreal Engine and Unity, or open source options like Blender.
AI: Artificial development skills are surely welcomed as many metaverses, including Sensorium Galaxy, host AI-based experiences and virtual beings with which users can interact. For this, a metaverse developer will typically be proficient in one or more programming language to be able to deploy AI models, including Python, C++ and R. In addition, developers should be able to work with deep learning (DL) algorithms and have experience with artificial intelligence frameworks such as TensorFlow, Caffe or PyTorch.
VR / AR: Proficiency in developing virtual and augmented content is a must for metaverse developers as users will be interacting with virtual spaces with all these technologies at their core. As such, a developer is expected to be familiar with such platforms and how they interact with wearable VR gear, for example, like Oculus, HTC Vive VR PSVR.
NFT: A range of assets inside the metaverse, like avatars and digital objects, can be minted as NFTs and then sold between users in return for cryptocurrency. That is the case of Sensorium Galaxy that relies on SENSO to enable all transactions inside its metaverse. Developers should be familiar with technologies like Web 3m blockchain, smart contracts, minting, and more. Here, it’s also a major plus being able to code in programming languages like JavaScript or Solidity.
Besides the skills outlined above, metaverse developers will need to have creative skills and passion for understanding what kind of experiences would attract users to virtual worlds.
메타버스에서의 직업과 직장을 구하는 곳
메타버스 개발자의 역할은 많을 수 있으며 다양한 책임에 걸쳐질 수 있습니다.
메타버스가 빠르고 무거운 발전 국면에 접어들면서 소규모 스타트업부터 기술 대기업까지 기업들이 뛰어들면서 메타버스 개발이 가능한 전문인력 채용에 적극 투자하고 있습니다. 이전에 페이스북으로 알려졌던 메타가 최초의 충만한 메타버스를 만들기 위한 노력을 주도해왔으며, 오큘러스 VR과 같은 핵심 기술의 소유주로서, 그것은 어느 정도 유리한 위치에 있다고 말할 수 있습니다. 그 회사는 또한 다가오는 메타버스에 대한 일종의 예고편인 Horizon Worlds도 출시했습니다.
마이크로소프트는 전문 및 비즈니스 환경에 맞는 가상 공간에 집중하여 메타버스에 공간을 두고 업무에 보다 협업적이고 몰입적인 도구를 사용하고자 하는 기업들을 위해 가상 사무실을 출시했습니다. 그리고 구글도 몇 가지 움직임을 보이고 있다고 밝혔지만, 아직 주요 메타버스 프로젝트는 공개하지 않았습니다.
거대 기술 기업 외에도 개발자들은 디센트라랜드, 로블록스, 액시 인피니티와 같은 다른 플랫폼에서도 수요가 높습니다. 해당 업계에서 직업을 찾고 있는 경우 다음을 살펴보실 수 있습니다:
- 메타버스 연구 과학자
- 메타버스 플래너
- 블록체인 전문가 및 엔지니어
- 생태계 개발자
- 메타버스 사이버 보안 전문가
- 3D 게임 디자이너
- 제품 관리자
- NFT 개발자 및 전략가
여러분은 가장 인기 있는 직업과 업계 소식은 메타버스 잡스 게시판을 확인해 보는 데 관심이 있을 것입니다.
최종 결론
메타버스를 개발하기 위한 경쟁은 이제 시작에 불과하지만, 날이 갈수록 뜨거워지고 있습니다. 거대한 미개발 가능성과 혁신을 가진 공간으로서, 성장을 위한 많은 여지가 있고 메타버스 개발자들은 메타버스를 삶으로 가져오는 것을 돕는 퍼즐의 중요한 부분입니다. 그리고 그러한 전문가들에 대한 수요는 계속 증가할 것이고 더 많은 기업들이 시장에 진입함에 따라 전망은 더 넓어질 것입니다.
