The metaverse is a concept of virtual worlds that are interconnected and unlimited in scope. Fundamentally, the metaverse has the potential to bring social interaction to another level, and a recent survey by Populix shows that 44% of Indonesians believe that the metaverse can be an extension of social media platforms which provides many new means of communication.
Thus, we shouldn’t feel surprised to see many companies competing to create their own metaverse platforms. The latest comes from an Indonesian company called Jagat (PT Avatara Jagat Nusantara), which since December 2021 has built a metaverse platform that focuses on providing spatial and immersive social interaction experience.
Jagat’s co-founder, Barry Beagen, believes that the metaverse and Web3 have a bright future in Indonesia, especially considering how active Indonesian people in social media are, not to mention their complete understanding of the principle of mutual cooperation from an early age. “As an extension of social media, Jagat focuses on being a favorite hangout spot for Indonesians, particularly productive youngsters and digital savvy, in order to maximize their potential,” Beagen said in a statement.
“Nothing can replace real-world interactions, of course, but with the ability of 3D video-based avatars, we can increase empathy between people while working and interacting remotely, ideal in a geographically vast archipelago country like Indonesia. In Jagat’s new creator ecosystem, everyone can create new worlds, own their own creations, connect with friends, and generate economic benefits from them,” Beagen added.
Jagat is a metaverse platform that is based on user-generated content (UGC), which means that users are free to create and use various applications in it. Creators, both public and brands will be able to design their own experiences, create avatars and digital assets such as clothes, furniture, and other accessories in the form of non-fungible tokens (NFT) for free and easily, without needing to have technical knowledge nor understanding about cryptocurrency.
According to Beagen, another factor that differentiates Jagat from other metaverse platforms is how it encourages a real connection between the metaverse and the development of real cities that will be Jagat’s partner later on. Utilizing blockchain technologies such as tokenization, Jagat aims to help form communities that develop and earn economic benefits through various X-to-earn business models with unlimited potential.
Furthermore, Jagat is committed to providing Web3 experiences that are affordable and accessible to all social classes. Adopting a mobile-first strategy is a must for Jagat, so that its metaverse platform can also be accessed using lower-end smartphones. This is primarily crucial for countries like Indonesia, where there are many people whose experience with the internet is still very fresh, and who mostly rely on mobile phones to access internet services.
In accomplishing its mission, Jagat is partnering with renowned technology providers such as Advance Intelligence Group and Utown. Jagat is currently targeting a release of its alpha version sometime this year.
