“XEN.” by @Cassiopeus https://www.hicetnunc.xyz/objkt/170135
Is it too late to be early?
At this point, if you’re someone with an investor’s mindset who has heard about Web 3 and the metaverse, you’re probably wondering how you can grab a piece of the pie. You might have questions like: “What’s available to buy?”; "Am I too late to be an early investor?”; “Where do I even start?”
If that sounds like you, let me be the first one to reassure you that you are incredibly early and that there are plenty of opportunities to grab hold of as this space continues to evolve. Metaverses are still in the process of being developed with many versions still in a presale phase. You’re not just on time to the party, you’re hours early and the host is wondering if they made a typo on your invitation.
Where to Start
A perfect place to start your metaverse investment journey is on CoinMarketCap. It’s time to do your own research so that you can make an informed decision based on the currently available options. Luckily for us, CoinMarketCap has a metaverse tag that can help make your search process much easier by filtering to cryptocurrencies that are in the metaverse space. Simply click “Categories” (next to the Cryptocurrencies tab) and scroll down until you find the metaverse category; it is currently #51 on the list. I’ll provide a link below for your convenience as well.
Once in the Metaverse section of the website, you’ll currently find 32 tokens listed to peruse through until you find some of your liking. As of right now, some of the most promising projects include Wilder World, The Sandbox, Decentraland, StarLink, UFO Gaming, and Star Atlas. The easiest way to invest in the future of the metaverse is to purchase the cryptocurrencies of the projects.
With Sandbox you can buy SAND, with Wilder World you can buy WILD, etc. Each coin typically has different steps that you must take in order to invest, so check out the website to get some guidance on your token of choice. Keep in mind, these are all very early tokens that rely on the success of the metaverse project and the team behind them. Think of this as investing in a startup tech company. This is a highly risky business; proceed with caution and don’t invest more than you’re okay with losing entirely.
Metaverse Land
Buying digital land within metaverse projects is one way to really stake your claim in the project and loudly proclaim “I believe in the future of this!” It may sound really complicated, but in reality, land usually isn’t difficult to buy. It does, however, tend to come at a decent price premium, so make sure you’re able to make an informed decision if you do decide to purchase your own digital land.
In order to demonstrate how to buy land (keep in mind it varies between each project), I’m going to use Sandbox as our example. First, you’ll want to head over to the official Sandbox website https://www.sandbox.game/en/. Once there, you should see a drop-down menu on the left side of the screen. Click the icon that says “Market”. Within the market, there are various filters that you can apply. Scroll down the filter list until you find “NFT Type”, click on “Lands”.
This will pull up the different parcels of land on the secondary market that are available to buy within the Sandbox metaverse. If you find one that is to your liking and click on it, you will be redirected to OpenSea where you can complete the transaction to purchase the land. In addition to the secondary market that is available, you can also participate in primary land sales. These occur every so often, and I recommend following Sandbox on Twitter (@TheSandboxGame) and joining their discord (https://discord.com/invite/vAe4zvY).
Metaverse NFTs
As I discussed in my genesis article on Hackernoon, the backbone of the metaverse will be NFTs. From your avatar, to your vehicles, to your HQ within the metaverse, all will be NFTs that you alone own.
Right now many metaverse projects are already selling NFTs to consumers, even before the full project has actually launched. These early metaverse NFTs are something that I can foresee appreciating greatly in the coming years due to the allure of them being some of the very first ever released.
Others in the NFT space seem to have a similar sentiment, as evidenced by the highly successful Wilder World auctions that have already taken place. On September 16, 2021 the Wilders hosted an auction for 99 digital “Air Wild” sneakers that metaverse citizens will be able to equip within Wilder World. These sneakers launched as some of the very first NFTs to be offered for the Wilder World metaverse, and closing auction prices were astronomical. The highlights of the auction were the “Bone Animal” edition, which sold for $28,200, and the “OG Coral” edition, which sold for $35,003.
The Metaverse is for You
With three main investment opportunities currently available within emerging metaverses, it really is hard to go wrong. Whether you want to become a digital real estate tycoon, stockpile prestigious NFT items, or stick to the currencies that back these incredible projects, the future of the metaverse has something for you. Go get out there, explore the unknown, and find something that’s right for you. Opportunity is ripe, and the time to get in early is now!
Disclaimer:
This article is written purely for entertainment and educational purposes and should not be taken as professional financial advice in any way.
Do your own research and, if you are seeking financial advice, find a professional who is right for you.
This article is part of The Gaming Metaverse Writing Contest hosted by HackerNoon in partnership with The Sandbox.
Submit your #gaming-metaverse story today for your chance to win up to $2000.