Have you ever thought that you’ve actually been playing a version of the metaverse all along? Spending 60 dollars on LINE stickers to use in family group chats, waving Big Bear’s head to suppress elders’ “memes”—in essence, this is no different from NFT players buying land in virtual worlds and trading digital art. The difference is just one key point: you’re buying a license to use the game company’s servers, while they’re buying a true digital asset that can be taken anywhere and used across any universe.

That’s why the metaverse and NFTs have been so popular in recent years. To be honest, many people still don’t really understand what these two concepts are, how to play them, or whether it’s worth investing. I’ve read a lot of related materials, so I’ve gone ahead and organized my understanding here, hoping to help you get your thinking straight.

The term “metaverse” comes from the 1992 science fiction novel *Snow Crash*, which depicts a virtual world parallel to reality. Simply put, the metaverse is a visually rich virtual space where people can work, be entertained, shop, and socialize—and none of it is possible without blockchain and NFTs behind the scenes. Venture capitalist Matthew Ball once said something that I strongly agree with: he believes the metaverse represents the fourth wave of computing, following mainframes, personal computers, and mobile devices.

So what exactly is an NFT? Put plainly, an NFT is a digital asset based on blockchain that plays the role of a “proof-of-authenticity ID” in the metaverse. What would a metaverse without NFTs be like? Game treasures you buy can’t be resold, virtual clothes you design can only be worn by yourself, and the house you painstakingly built can be taken down by the platform at any time. The emergence of NFTs changes all of this—it lets virtual assets truly belong to you.

I noticed that during the 2021 bull market, metaverse projects like Decentraland and The Sandbox sparked a frenzy. MANA’s price surged by 4,100%, the price of virtual land jumped from 1,000 to 45,000, and even exceeded the appreciation of real estate in Taipei. But as the crypto market peaked, the floor prices of these projects kept setting new lows, and many niche NFT projects have become overlooked. This shows us that investing in the metaverse does carry risk—especially due to liquidity issues.

If you want to take part in the metaverse, the most practical way is to buy and trade NFTs. The process isn’t complicated: first, choose mainstream trading platforms like OpenSea, set up a MetaMask wallet, purchase cryptocurrencies like Ethereum, and then you can browse and trade NFT projects you like. When selling, you can list items directly or participate in auctions—if someone places a bid, you’ll receive the corresponding profit.

But when playing the metaverse and investing in NFTs, remember three “don’ts”: don’t enter private keys on unfamiliar platforms, don’t register all accounts using the same set of passwords, and don’t trust airdrop ads that say “guaranteed profit.” Also be mentally prepared—liquidity in this field is generally poor, so trying with a small amount of money is more suitable.

In the long run, the metaverse still has potential. Big companies like Meta, Microsoft, and Google are investing, and virtual reality and AI will become important components. Related laws and regulations are also being gradually improved, which will lower the barrier to entry and reduce bad behavior. The metaverse and NFTs may truly change how people live and how economic models operate in the future—it's just that more time and real-world practice are still needed to verify it.