A small technological step, a great leap in the construction of “the Catalan digital nation & rdquor ;. The vice president and minister of digital policies of the Generalitat, Jordi Puigneró, has endorsed this Monday the historic phrase of Neil Armstrong when stepping on the moon to measure the importance he gives to the project that his department starts: a catalan metaverse, which has been dubbed ‘Catvers’. Developed by the Blockchain Center of Catalonia (CBCat) and driven between the Generalitat and the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce, the Catvers It is available from this Monday to hold company meetings or association meetings for the time being.
The metaverse – a virtual space where people can socialize, work or consume through avatars as if it were the classic video game from ‘The Sims’ – is one of the most fashionable areas of the technological universe. It shows that Facebook has turned its strategy to focus on it or that in the last edition of the world’s largest technology fair, CES in Las Vegas, it was the leading technology.
“Catalonia has the opportunity to be a pioneer in this world, in this new reality & rdquor ;, the executive president of CBCat has introduced, Quirze Solomon, in the presentation of the tool, an act in which it has already been possible to participate in a virtual way based on the avatars of each of the people summoned. “This new world must be conquered: before this was done through coups and wars, but the conquest of this new world that is coming, which we call metaverse, will be based on creativity and development & rdquor ;, he has completed.
In fact, its promoters leave in the hands of the entities that want to use this virtual space the uses they want to give it, although their start-up plan includes several options by way of example. “Immediately, the Catvers will provide spaces for meetings, associations or assemblies, but it will also have spaces for museum exhibitions or for creators who want to exhibit their works of art here & rdquor ;, explained Salomó.
Free Start
These options, which are formally activated this Monday afternoon and which as has been said they already have a waiting list, they will only require that the company or entity in question points to a list and receives an access code with which to create its room. “The immersion of these worlds causes a much higher social interaction than meeting spaces [como Zoom, Teems o Google Meet]& rdquor ;, has highlighted the same spokesperson to justify its use. And “allows you to see the art without scrolling & rdquor ;, he added.
During the first weeks these rooms they will be free, but at the end of February a kind of “very affordable & rdquor; for using them. Later, this space could even have its own currency, and more or less coming to spring the Catvers intends to begin an ambitious expansion and become a space for somewhat larger events such as festivals or even university classes already for the second semester.
Community management
Regarding its management, for the moment it will be the Blockchain Center of Catalonia itself who will run the space, but by the end of the year they intend to have created enough fabric to be managed by the entities that are part of this virtual universe.
“The Catvers is designed and will be worked to be self-sustaining and to be sustained with the income it generates & rdquor ;, Salomó has specified, without detailing how much it has cost to start it:” A few thousand euros and a lot of teamwork & rdquor ;, has said. It has been shared, however, that the CBcat will take 400,000 euros this year 2022 from the Generalitat’s budgets, double that of last year, according to Jordi Puigneró.
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“Digital innovation will be one of the great engines of the economy of the future, it is the most important raw material we need for the future of this country,” said the vice president of the Generalitat. “That is why the commitment to the Blockchain Center of Catalonia is a clear bet that will continue in the coming years & rdquor ;, he has justified.
“This is the project with the most transformative capacity of those that have been presented so far [desde el CBCat]& rdquor ;, the president of the Chamber of Commerce assured, Monica Roca. This entity plans to launch a study to analyze the impact of the tool in terms of job creation or contribution to the Catalan Gross Domestic Product (GDP). “Catalonia has to develop this avant-garde role, it is essential that it do so & rdquor ;, Roca concluded.
Reference-www.elperiodico.com