Neal Stephenson’s 1992 novel Snow Crash conceived of the Metaverse as an escapist medium within a dystopian future. By the early 2000s, his vision had evolved into a blueprint for pioneering virtual worlds, notably Second Life. In the 2010s, technology companies—from Meta to Epic Games—recast the Metaverse as the next frontier of digital experience and revenue generation. Now, in the 2020s, the still speculative concept encompasses a convergence of extended reality technologies alongside blockchain systems and artificial intelligence.

The contributors bring together leading scholars and industry professionals to examine past “imaginations” and recent “achievements” in the pursuit of the Metaverse. They trace its development through literary, media, and cultural history while exploring current applications and their technical, social, cultural, and economic implications.