Is Pain Real in the Metaverse?

Is pain real in the Metaverse? Advances in technology mean that haptic feedback is already a thing in gaming products like the PlayStation 5 controller.

It may have just been an April Fool’s joke by Razer, but haptic Metaverse suits could become a real thing in the not too distant future and with it, a sense of mixing some reality into the virtual world.

Metaverse - How To Stay Safe
There has been recent news about a Japanese company wanting to cause real-life pain within the Metaverse (behind the Financial Times paywall, but available elsewhere), now why they would want to cause real pain is something only the Japanese would seemingly want to invest in.

Of course, that’s just one thing to be concerned about in the Metaverse, but what about other incidences and especially children? Young children could be open for so much abuse in the form of bullying, which is why international identity verification provider Veriff, has analysed predictions and risks for the metaverse across various sectors.

Metaverse - Gaming Spaces
It changes from, is pain real in the Metaverse to how do we protect young people from online abuse in videogames.

Janer Gorohhov, co-founder and CPO at Veriff commented, As more Metaverse-based companies work to self-regulate this new digital space, Veriff has already kicked off first use cases with top Metaverse companies to ensure safety on their platforms. With many predictions outlined in our research looking to be rolled out as early as this year, it is crucial to look ahead at the risks we might face, and address those at the very beginning of the journey to ensure the safety of all Metaverse users.

  • Online games will no longer be closed ecosystems, with the items you earn or buy in games following you throughout the metaverse. Social spaces will also be integrated within games, allowing players to interact with each other between playing to create a more immersive, social environment.
  • Online abuse and bullying in the gaming community is a current issue that will likely become more problematic in the metaverse. As technology develops, concerns around unwanted contact and the impact it may have on mental health is growing among experts.
  • Integrating Identity verification sets higher user accountability and helps to prevent online bullying. Not only does Veriff’s technology help to verify the identities of metaverse users, but it will also protect underage users, especially young children, from inappropriate or age-restricted content or from people pretending to be someone else online.
  • Alongside user age verification, parent and guardian verification can also be required to protect children from the very beginning of the journey, making the metaverse more transparent and secure for its younger users. These steps will help gaming companies provide online entertainment, including age-gated content, while ensuring only verified customers are participating.

Our research has revealed plans for the Metaverse to be integrated into all aspects of our everyday lives, from gaming and dating to work and education. It is paramount that Metaverse-based companies invest in additional measures, such as identity verification, age verification and parent and guardian verification, to make the space more transparent and secure for all users, but especially children.

Even with most websites and service requiring users to be at least 13 years old, they still need to feel safe. Not all young teenagers are low-life trolls and just want to enjoy things that give them an escape from the harsh realities of the World, we all do.

Veriff’s solution can discard bots and block sold accounts so that metaverse users can be certain that they are interacting with real people within the digital environment. IDV also sets higher user accountability and helps to prevent online bullying.

The only thing we can hope for is that parents actually get involved and take a proper, vested interest what their child does online. Not to the extent of being over-bearing, but at least think that they can rely and use services like Veriff to help protect them.

If you would like to find out more about what Veriff are concerned about and would like to help regulate, visit their full blog post here.