By: puranjaym
Lucid Thoughts, , ,

The Role of Proof of Reputation in Virtual Worlds

A good reputation is more valuable than money.


Publilius Syrus

Note: Wrote this article partially almost 4 years back, there have been lot of changes in the ecosystem with declining interest and reduced virtual reality hardware sales. Even the Meta metaverse site is kinda out of date.

A sample view here. However, I do feel that proof of reputation as an identity protocol holds promise and we have just scratched the surface of what we need as we become sentient on multi-metaverses. Do read and share your thoughts of how whether the metaverse hype will resurrect again !

Thinking About the Metaverse: Beyond the Hype, What Really Matters? (Maybe It’s Reputation?)

Wow, what a week! It feels like everywhere I turn on Tech Twitter, someone’s dropping a massive thread predicting how the big tech giants are going to battle it out for control of the metaverse. If you’re wondering, “What is the metaverse, anyway?”, the simplest way to think about it is a grand vision of connecting all our separate virtual worlds – games, social spaces, work platforms – into one massive, shared alternate reality.

Yeah, it definitely sounds like something straight out of science fiction, doesn’t it? And in a way, it is. Neal Stephenson’s novel Snow Crash is often pointed to as the blueprint or inspiration for many people thinking about this space today. The whole idea of alternate realities, different identities, escaping into parallel universes… it’s exciting to say the least!

But here’s a thought that keeps bothering me: if the metaverse is built primarily as a commercial venture, driven by profit motives, can it truly deliver on that promise of freedom and escape? Will the foundations of exciting exploration hold up if every corner has a price tag justified as infrastructure cost?

So, I’ve been trying to piece together the clues, read some virtual tea leaves, if you will, about where this is all heading. And it’s led me to think about something specific: Proof of Reputation. I have a hunch this might just be one of the most crucial building blocks for a truly functional and meaningful metaverse. Let me try to explain why..

The Big Split: Open Roads or Walled Gardens?

First off, we need to talk about the fundamental tension: will the metaverse be open and interconnected, or will it be a collection of private, walled-off experiences?

Honestly, the idea of a completely “private” metaverse feels like an oxymoron. How can you have a truly singular, collective universe if it’s just a bunch of exclusive clubs you can’t easily move between with no knowledge of each other ?

But the commercial pull is strong. We’re already seeing huge economies forming in these proto-metaverse spaces. Look at Roblox, where game creators reportedly earned over $100 million back in 2019! Or Second Life, which had an estimated virtual GDP of around $500 million, years ago ! Companies see the potential for massive revenue streams, leading to rapid development within these private ecosystems.

However, for a truly open metaverse – one where you can seamlessly move between worlds created by different people and companies – we need common ground. We need agreed-upon rules of the road: protocols, standards, and platforms that everyone can build on and connect to. This is where groups like the Open Metaverse Interoperability Group (OMI) come in, trying to lay that essential groundwork (check them out on GitHub).

Making it Work: The Interoperability Puzzle

This brings us to the concept of interoperability. For the metaverse dream to work, we need things to flow smoothly between different virtual spaces. Think about it: your data, your digital belongings (like clothes for your avatar or virtual art), the content you create, and even the quality of your experience shouldn’t be locked into one platform.

But let’s pause for a second: do we really need everything to be interoperable? Maybe some walled gardens are okay? It’s a valid question, but for the grand vision, smooth transitions seem key.

The biggest hurdle? Identity. How do we prove who we are across different virtual worlds?

  • Verification is tough: How do you securely verify someone’s identity without compromising privacy?
  • Agreeing on standards: What will the “passport” for the metaverse look like? Will everyone accept the same format?
  • Web3 approaches: The emerging Web3 world leans towards pseudonymity – having a consistent, verifiable online identity that isn’t necessarily tied to your real name. Think about logging into various crypto applications using your Metamask wallet – could that be a model for a metaverse single sign-on?
  • What about our stuff? Beyond identity, how do we manage our digital assets? Will we need virtual lockers or vaults? Who will manage access and consent – maybe new kinds of ‘data fiduciaries’? How will all this stuff work across worlds ?

And this brings me back to my core idea: Could reputation be the single most important interoperable asset we carry with us across metaverses?

Proof of Reputation 101

Think about it. In almost any social situation, real or virtual, reputation is a key measure of who you are. It signals trustworthiness, skill, and social standing. Something that has been built up over the course of your existence and hopefully persists as legacy.

What if the most valuable things you carry consistently across different virtual realities aren’t just your avatar’s identity or your collection of digital items (your inventory), but something less tangible? What if the common thread that ties your experiences together is a verifiable Proof of Reputation – something portable and not locked to any single platform (essentially something that is stateless)?

Imagine you’re a traveler moving between different virtual worlds, like visiting different nations or civilizations in the real world:

  • Will your virtual currency or items matter if the locals in the new world don’t recognize or value them? Probably not much.
  • Will your social graph (list of friends or connections) be useful if those connections have no relevance or influence in this new space? Maybe not.
  • But what if you arrive with a known reputation? Perhaps you’re known for being an amazing builder, a helpful guide, a trustworthy trader, or a skilled problem-solver. That innate ability, recognized through your reputation, could be valuable anywhere. It would be a transferable skill that allows you to add value automatically in any world.

Could carrying your reputation – your digital “fame” or credibility – across platforms become the new essential credential? A sort of universal reference check for the metaverse age?

Think about your favorite RTS game, if you liked playing mage, sitting in the background and conjuring up multi-stroke moves wouldn’t you want to not have to go through the basic levels in a new RTS game ? Or if you were a doctor in your native country, should you really have to study medicine from scratch or just attempt a bridge course to ensure you have understanding of local standards/lexicons ?

Of course, figuring out how to implement a Proof of Reputation system is the next big challenge.

  • Could it be tied to existing digital tokens or blockchain technologies?
  • How would we establish fair standards for earning (and potentially losing) reputation points?
  • Do certain activities lead to earning or losing reputation quicker? Think heroic acts or crimes of passion ?

These are big questions, but exploring the idea of a portable, verifiable reputation feels essential as we navigate the exciting, complex, and rapidly evolving landscape of the metaverse. It might just be the key to making it a place built on trust and merit, not just commerce.

Metaverse Further Reading

  • I had been meaning to deep dive into the metaverse landscape with the highly recommended Metaverse primer by Matthew Ball.
  • What is the Metaverse ? – NYT Article
  • The Stratchery article exploring Microsoft and Facebook plays for the metaverse that sparked my initial thoughts.
  • Value Chain of the Open Metaverse – Great read on the building blocks of the metaverse.
  • Building the Metaverse Market Map – The building blocks and how they will potentially all come together.
  • Some explorations on Proof of Reputation – not necessarily related to the implementation of the metaverse discussed above, but still good background material:

Are you working on the metaverse ? Any thoughts on how the metaverse will play out ? Want to explore building proof of reputation solutions? Hit me up !