HOW ON-SCREEN WORLD WORKS

THE Horizon Venues metaverse was launched by Facebook in 2020. Users create an avatar by choosing a gender and selecting from a range of skin tones, body shapes, hairstyles and clothes.

Users speak through their avatars via the microphone on their virtual-reality headsets – which cover their eyes and lets them see from the point of view of their avatar – to interact with others. You can’t see the real person but you hear their voice. Users also wear controllers on their wrists to move their avatar, which has a text bubble above its head so others can see the user’s online name.

If a user feels threatened, their avatar can enter a protective ‘safe zone’ in which no one can touch them or talk to them.