Saudi Arabia launched a “cultural” metaverse experience to celebrate its Founding Day, taking users through its history from 1727 to the present.
On its founding day, the Ministry of Culture of Saudi Arabia launched a metaverse experience to celebrate the nation’s cultural heritage and history.
The Saudi government developed its metaverse experience using Oracle’s Hyperledger Fabric 2.5 blockchain technology and droppGroup’s Generative Media Intelligence AI system, called droppPhygital.
The Saudi metaverse was designed like a first-person shooter video game to help users navigate it.
Users could walk alongside others on a common path in the metaverse and explore information on both sides of the path.
As users walked through the metaverse, they could learn about the history of Saudi Arabia by triggering audio explanations of historical events.
Although the audio content was informative, it was only available in Arabic, not English.
The Cultural Universe included features for music, art, history, food, crafts, and mini-games that focused on the country’s heritage.
Users could access the Saudi metaverse using a web browser, mobile device, virtual reality headset, or other supported devices at no cost.
The Saudi government’s official announcement read:
“This cross-platform compatibility embodies the Ministry of Culture’s commitment to inclusivity, enabling a diverse global audience to explore and engage with the rich history of Saudi culture.”
According to the Ministry of Culture, tasked with preserving and promoting the nation’s cultural heritage and nurturing contemporary artistic expression, the metaverse marked a “transformative moment” and was a cultural revolution for Saudi Arabia.
According to Samuel Huber, CEO of LandVault, the Middle East was leaving behind the metaverse’s early phase of “hype” and moving toward the use of technology to spur economic development.
Huber, who spoke with Cointelegraph, said that the metaverse was about creating 3D experiences embedded within web applications.
He added:
“What we found is the biggest segment are the governments in the Middle East, especially the UAE [United Arab Emirates], Saudi and Qatar, which are trying to digitalize their infrastructure and create really interesting economies for their citizens.”
CEO Huber said that the metaverse was among the key technologies the Middle East explored to drive economic expansion, alongside blockchain and AI.
Read also: Ethereum Foundation alongside zkSync allocates $900K for ZK Layer 2 development
