The Metaverse and the Future of Play

There are many exciting ideas about what the metaverse is now and might be in the future. Today it’s a workplace, a concert, a fashion show, a gaming community, a classroom. But in the future? The metaverse gives off a shape-shifting vision of tomorrow distorted by FOMO and spin. Will it actually play a relevant role in our lives sometime soon?


The most relatable characteristic of the metaverse is its similarity to a video game. It has a playful feel, a theme that resonates with many future signals. For example, Microsoft Teams now offers in-call games to help coworkers bond and decompress between meetings. Schools are adding free time into daily schedules for young teen students to capture the academic benefits of play. And experts think play could be important to building resilience against the social impacts of the pandemic, especially for children.

There’s a chance the metaverse will infuse play into more of the things we do in the future, which could have some unforeseen benefits. What new kinds of play could the metaverse bring into our lives?

Here are a few ideas.


Learning Play: A recent study found that a playful approach was effective for kids learning literacy, numeracy, and social skills. Teaching through guided play were more effective than traditional lessons at almost every subject, including math. In the future, teachers might lead students to play to learn through open-ended questions and guidance in a metaverse game. There is already substantial research on why educational videogames work for the Gen Z and Gen Alpha learner. Could the metaverse revolutionize teaching and learning?

Working Play: GameFi is the term used to describe “play to earn” cryptocurrency games, where the player actually earns digital currency for video game play. In the GameFi community, some play games to support their families or are gaming on scholarships. It’s a form of income. Some gamers say the monthly winnings (around €172) are "life-changing." It makes sense that the future metaverse could offer opportunities to earn money while you play. Will playing to earn ever become a realistic alternative to having a job?


Mindful Play: Until recently, play was understood to be the opposite of work. But adding play into an adult’s daily routine can literally improve job satisfaction and performance. Ambiguous states of “bleisure” or "workcation" are becoming entrenched in the zeitgeist: a global study found “65% of 5,500 respondents planned to extend a work trip into a leisure one, or vice versa, in 2022.” The pandemic revealed that work and play are symbiotic. There could be metaverse spaces in the future that use play to help with work/life balance, emotional stability, personal growth, or productivity bursts.



Remember when it was taboo to play computer games at work? The metaverse is changing that if nothing else. But, if the metaverse can be used for more meaningful matters, too, such as to address work stress and burnout, there could be a chain effect with many positive repercussions. An educational metaverse game could make learning engaging and accessible, helping to level the playing field. And lastly, is it “work” if you’re being paid to play? Part of looking ahead to the future means exploring the opposite of what we assume will always be true.

The metaverse is a fantastical space with loose boundaries and low constraints on creativity. It offers immersive visual effects and physical sensations, pushing the limits of the virtual experience. If the metaverse can help people live, learn, and find inner peace, then maybe it’s worth all the hype.

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