A third of internet users are curious about the metaverse.
33% of those interviewed in an online survey were curious about the metaverse. However, most of the respondents expressed negative feelings with 27% saying they were uninterested and 19% stating they were concerned. 23% were suspicious and 12% were confused.
It’s not all negative though. Overcoming obstacles that stop them from doing something in the physical world was seen as the biggest benefit of the metaverse, cited by 39% and followed by enhancing creativity and imagination (37%) and traveling without leaving your home (37%). Other benefits included new job opportunities (30%) and increasing technological literacy (34%). (Statista)
7. 11% of internet users think the metaverse will be a short-lived trend.
- 7. 11% of internet users think the metaverse will be a short-lived trend.
- Metaverse users demographics
- Metaverse Demographics & Statistics
- 1. Metaverse players are young males.
- Metaverse users statistics
- Gucci Garden
- What Does the Future Hold for the Metaverse?
- Future Metaverse Usage Trends
- 4.
- 8. Six in ten gamers would use the metaverse for gaming.
- 9. 49% of internet users think that sexually explicit content should be restricted on the metaverse.
Metaverse users demographics
Metaverse Demographics & Statistics
Who is engaging with the metaverse right now?
1. Metaverse players are young males.
Since Fortnite, Roblox, and Minecraft are the three biggest metaverse titles, Newzoo has designated all users of these games as metaverse players.
According to this classification, the average metaverse player is around 27 years old, compared to the average gamer who is about 38 years of age.
In terms of gender, metaverse players are males (59% vs 41%). The majority of traditional gamers, on the other hand, are females, i.e.
53% vs 47%.
Metaverse users statistics
The population of The Metaverse has just reached a key milestone – 400m unique monthly active users. That’s an impressive number (approx. the populations of the USA and UK combined) and we’re going to dig a bit deeper into this number.
Firstly, how did we arrive at 400m? We’ve got over 12 years of experience tracking and analysing the demographics and user data for virtual worlds.
This means we have direct relationships with many of the platform operators, access to third party metrics and also a good sense of how popular each virtual world is. Additionally, we have proprietary tools and research methods to calculate (and remove) duplicate account data and users with accounts in multiple worlds.
We combine all of this knowledge and insight to create our virtually world-famous ‘Metaverse Universe Chart’.
The chart above shows the overall user numbers by age.
That’s right. 2022 is the year of the metaverse. Or VR. Or AR. Or NFTs? Well, it’s going to be one of them. Maybe 2022 is the year we all go retro, get super into fax machines.
There are predictions out there that Metaverse could reach the $800B mark by 2024, as it is already sitting at around $47B thanks to a surge of interest in 2020 when the pandemic peaked.
So, a combination of accelerating digital technologies, alongside changing consumer habits and the introduction of Gen-Z fully into the consumer sphere, has led to the metaverse becoming more and more real.
Plus, all of this has pushed marketers to consider that the metaverse has become a (virtual) reality. So, let’s check out the current state of the metaverse, where consumers stand, what technologies are growing, and what platforms and brands are pulling ahead.
The platform will allow users to interact with friends, families, and colleagues using digital avatars.
Later, some other tech giants such as Apple, Sony, Google, Microsoft, and many others have joined in the race to build the next generation of the internet around the concept of metaverse and are spending billions of dollars in the process. They aim to combine the powers of AR/VR headsets, smartphones, personal computers, and cloud connected servers to provide an immersive experience to end-users.
In a broader sense, these innovations will enable users to meet, interact with others, and carry out business in the metaverse environment.
This comes on the heels of the electronic company announcing that their smart TVs will support NFTs. (Bitcoin News)
Gucci Garden
Gucci launched a digital-only collection of items for Roblox, managing to sell a digital iteration of one of their famous bags for $800 more than its real-life price. The company also launched Vault, a digital distribution platform, that will sell “Supergucci” NFTs.
(HYPEBEAST, Influencer Marketing Hub)
What Does the Future Hold for the Metaverse?
By 2026, it is expected that 25% of the world’s population will spend at least one hour a day in the metaverse for digital activities, including shopping, work, education, social interaction, or entertainment.
On top of that, 30% of global businesses are anticipated to have goods and services accessible in the metaverse by 2026.
Metaverse population into meaningful cohorts, we segment the numbers as follows:
- Browser-based virtual worlds with an average user age 13 and under
- Browser-based virtual worlds with an average user age over 13.
- Virtual reality-based virtual worlds
- Browser-based virtual worlds on a blockchain
- Virtual reality-based virtual worlds on a blockchain
The pie charts above show the overall 400m population by these cohorts.
Virtual worlds accessed in the browser with an average user age 13 and under and not built on blockchains is clearly the major driving force in the Metaverse market at present accounting for 340m unique MAUs (85%)
The next highest cohort is the older age bracket from the largest cohort, off-chain browser-based VWs with an average user age 13 and older.
Metaverse players are more likely to engage with Snapchat and TikTok than other social networks.
41% of metaverse players used TikTok in the last six months compared to just 21% of all other players. The same is true for Snapchat, another ‘new’ social media platform.
Namely, 35% of metaverse players use this site, while only 21% of non-metaverse players use Snapchat.
Facebook’s popularity among the younger population in the US has been declining which is reflected in how much younger metaverse players use the social media site. According to Newzoo, 58% of traditional gamers use Facebook, while the same is true for 49% of metaverse players. (Newzoo)
Future Metaverse Usage Trends
What do internet users think about the metaverse?
4.
Less than a third of respondents in a poll carried out this year said that the metaverse is not as good as real life. 26% see it as the future of technology, while only 9% think of it as a better alternative to real life. (Statista)
8. Six in ten gamers would use the metaverse for gaming.
This was the most popular reason cited by respondents in a 2021 poll, followed by creating content, mentioned by 28% of those surveyed. (
Statista)
9. 49% of internet users think that sexually explicit content should be restricted on the metaverse.
60% advocated for full censorship of suicide, while 57% believe that animal abuse should also be censored. Racism, fake news, and hate speech are other things users would like to be censored in the metaverse.
Surprisingly, 26% stated that religious offenses should not be restricted.
The platform is decentralized and not owned by any single organization. It is rather collectively created, managed, and optimized.
The mandatory properties of the metaverse platform include 360-degree digital environment combining both physical and virtual worlds, the presence of a full-fledged economy to carry out financial transactions, and interoperability as a means of shifting seamlessly from one metaverse to another metaverse.
Metaverse will overlap across physical and virtual worlds to create an entire new universe where digital consumers and business will go hand in hand. Companies have started spending millions to buy a space within the metaverse.
Even some countries are thinking of opening an embassy in the metaverse.