Pets are Entering the Metaverse

There’s a new buzzword in town: metaverse.  Also called cyberspace, the metaverse is a broad spectrum of technologies impacting human interaction.  The term encompasses virtual reality, augmented reality, holograms, motion-tracking tools, and NFTs.  As of 2020, the market value of the metaverse was over $47 billion.  The key growth driver in the market is a rising focus on the converging digital and physical worlds through the internet.
One major aspect of the physical world for millions of people is their pet.  As a result, several companies are inventing ways to bring pets into the metaverse.  Right now, there are two approaches to the idea: metapets and metaverse pets.  A metapet is an avatar representation of a real pet created with holographic images.  Chipped pets can be monitored remotely through avatars, potentially allowing traveling owners to feel connected to them from afar.  A metaverse pet is an entirely fictional animal avatar.  Metaverse pets allow users to experience some form of pet ownership without physically owning a pet.  This option is great for people unable or unwilling to commit to caring for another living creature.   Companies working on making metaverse pet platforms a thing include Metapets, MetaGochi, Axie Infinity, and even CryptoKitties.