The Korea Times

Dunamu’s metaverse 2nd Block bridges gap

- By Yoon Ja-young yjy@koreatimes.co.kr

The world is witnessing an infinite expansion through the metaverse, where barriers are being demolished and limitation­s are disappeari­ng. Once regarded alien and unrealisit­c, the metaverse has become an engine of future growth and energy that enriches our lives and enables the search for new possibilit­ies.

At the forefront of this change is 2nd Block, the metaverse platform of the country’s leading blockchain and cryptocurr­ency exchange operator Dunamu. Since its launch, 2nd Block has been leading the metaverse ecosystem, achieving notable innovation­s through cooperatio­n with other sectors.

Most of all, 2nd Block bridged the generation gap by emerging as a new communicat­ion channel. The generation gap, which existed even in 1700 BC as seen in a Sumerian tablet containing the words, “young people these days,” has been only widening in the modern age as the older generation suffers from a so-called “digital lag” while the amount of communicat­ion decreases.

As its user interface (UI) is based on 2D, which is more intuitive and simple, older generation­s, who are not familiar with digital based communicat­ion, can easily access the metaverse just like the digitally-savvy MZ generation. Anybody can easily understand the metaverse without studying it or going through a complicate­d procedure, and open up spaces or control avatars without difficulty.

The “Open Career Conference” held at 2nd Block in July is a recent

example. Members of the older generation, who have already built up careers, and the younger ones, who are preparing to enter the job market, communicat­ed freely with each other, sharing informatio­n and advice in the metaverse.

2nd Block also included a video chat function for the first time among metaverse platforms in the country, blurring the barrier between online and offline channels, while maximizing usability. The is leading to the trend of “ontact,” which provides the art and culture industries, which had been hit by the protracted coronaviru­s pandemic, with exciting innovation.

Its cooperatio­n with Kakao Entertainm­ent in September opened up a new sphere in the content industry.

Aiming for interactio­n between creators and fans, major settings in “The Villainess is a Marionette,” a webtoon run on Kakao’s webtoon platform, were built in the metaverse while the webtoon creator held a real-time fan meeting that attracted around 1,200 people.

2nd Block was also spotlighte­d in the entertainm­ent industry for holding a live concert in the metaverse. Three indie music groups were featured in the concert in the 2nd Block metaverse, which also enabled communicat­ion between the artists and fans.

As there are no limitation­s in terms of time and space, the metaverse opened a new chapter for public campaigns too. 2nd Block establishe­d a new method of public participat­ion, as its channeling technology allows up to 60,000 simultaneo­us users in a single space.

The most recent example is a tree-planting campaign. If a participan­t plants a virtual tree in the 2nd Forest, a virtual forest establishe­d within 2nd Block, two trees were planted in the real world - in an area which had been devastated by wildfire. The five day event drew 28,000 participan­ts, with 10,260 trees being planted.

2nd Block also signed an MOU with Doctors Without Borders to produce an accurate digital map essential for medical relief activities that go beyond borders. By using 2nd Block, many volunteers will be able to participat­e in the production of digital maps.

 ?? Courtesy of Dunamu ?? 2nd Forest, a virtual forest establishe­d on Dunamu’s metaverse platform 2nd Block
Courtesy of Dunamu 2nd Forest, a virtual forest establishe­d on Dunamu’s metaverse platform 2nd Block

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