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Gabe Newell: “Most people who talk about the metaverse have absolutely no idea what they’re talking about”
I think the metaverse is bullshit, but my point doesn’t stop Facebook from spending billions on R&D or start-up investors pouring millions into any company that says the words “blockchain” and “metaverse” in one sentence. While talking to Valve President Gabe Newell last week about Steam Deck, cryptocurrency, and more, I was relieved to hear he didn’t get the buzz either.
“There’s a lot of get-rich-quick schemes out there about Metaverse,” Newell said when I asked him if he believed the Metaverse trend would help advance technology.
“Most people who talk about the metaverse have absolutely no idea what they’re talking about. And they’ve obviously never played an MMO. They’re like, ‘Oh, you’re going to have this customizable avatar.’ It’s like, umm…into the end La Nosia in Fantasy 14, tell me this isn’t something that was solved ten years ago, or something amazing you invented.”
Cyberpunk novels like William Gibson’s “Neuromancer” and Neil Stephenson’s “Avalanche” are often cited as inspirations for virtual worlds, but over the years tech mogul has tried to recreate the impact these books have on the web. visions of spaces, while conveniently ignoring their dystopian themes. Capital M Capital P Missing the Point, Newell gave me a little reassurance in this regard from an unexpected source: one of the real authors.
“I’m friends with Neil Stephenson, and every time we get together, he just puts his face in his hands. So it’s like, ‘Okay, what metaverse story is driving you crazy today?'”
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Newell was a bit more optimistic than I was, adding that he was sure “it’s going to work out eventually.” But our thoughts on current shallow get-rich-quick virtual world schemes are certainly similar.
“It’s clear that the gaming industry has been exploring these technologies,” he said. “It will be interesting to see if those who are late have a lot to add, rather than hoping a whole bunch of people give them a ton of money for some magical reason. But you know, in the end, customers and useful The technology wins, so I’m not worried about that.”