Do you remember the movie "Ready Player One"? The scene where the protagonist wears VR goggles and races cars in the Oasis, earning treasures—well, that’s no longer science fiction. I recently realized that many of us have already been playing a simplified version of the metaverse—buying LINE stickers, using Kumamon GIFs in group chats to suppress long images of elders—essentially no different from NFT players buying land and trading digital art in virtual worlds. What’s the difference? You’re spending money to buy a "usage right to game company servers," while they’re buying a "digital asset that can be taken to any universe." That’s the core difference between NFTs and the metaverse.

The concept of the metaverse actually comes from the 1992 science fiction novel "Snow Crash," which describes a virtual world parallel to reality. Simply put, the metaverse is a visually rich virtual space where people can work, entertain, shop, and socialize—all supported by blockchain and NFTs. Venture capitalist Matthew Ball put it well: the metaverse represents the fourth wave of computing, following mainframes, personal computers, and mobile devices.

So, what role do NFTs play in the metaverse? In simple terms, NFTs are the "anti-counterfeit ID cards" of the metaverse. What happens if there are no NFTs in the metaverse? The game items you buy can’t be resold, their value is stuck on the server; virtual clothes you design can only be worn by yourself, with zero commercial value; the houses you painstakingly build can be taken down by the platform at any time, wiping out your assets overnight. Because NFTs have the blockchain’s immutable feature, players can truly own their virtual assets and trade freely.

During the 2021 bull market, projects like Decentraland and The Sandbox sparked a wave of enthusiasm. MANA tokens surged 4100%, virtual land prices skyrocketed from 1,000 to 45,000, surpassing Taipei real estate gains. But you also saw that after the market peaked and declined, the floor prices of related NFTs kept hitting new lows, and some niche projects are now abandoned.

If you want to participate in the metaverse, the most practical way is to buy and sell NFTs or project tokens. The process isn’t complicated: first, choose mainstream trading platforms like OpenSea, download a MetaMask wallet, connect it to the platform, buy cryptocurrencies like Ethereum to fund your wallet, then select your favorite NFT projects to purchase. When selling, find the NFT you hold in your profile, set a price, and list it. If you’re in a hurry to sell, you can accept offers below the floor price.

But there are three "don’ts" to remember: don’t enter your private key on unfamiliar platforms (your private key is like your bank password), don’t use the same password for all accounts, and don’t believe in "guaranteed profit" NFT airdrop ads.

Honestly, the liquidity of metaverse and NFT investments is still not as good as cryptocurrency trading, and many projects carry the risk of no buyers. My advice for newcomers is to start with small funds to test the waters, because many projects branded as metaverse are essentially air; once market enthusiasm fades, prices can plummet sharply.

In the long run, the metaverse still has potential. Tech giants like Meta, Microsoft, and Google are investing heavily; virtual reality and AI will become key components. More laws and regulations are expected to be introduced to regulate this field, lowering entry barriers. The metaverse could truly change how people live and how economies operate, with NFTs serving as its infrastructure—evolving as application scenarios expand. Although risks exist, with good trading discipline, this market remains worth paying attention to.