Who Are Metaverse Developers and What Technologies Do They Need to Know?

Metaverse has been one of the hottest topics in tech news during the last few years, especially after Facebook’s rebranding. Not only the company was renamed to “Meta” but it also launched a set of metaverse development tools. Since then, more and more metaverse projects have appeared. The involvement of tech giants in the building metaverse world definitely provides nice opportunities for developers. So, if you’d like to gain momentum and jump into the metaverse bandwagon, keep on reading our article to find out more about metaverse developers, their responsibilities, skills, and career prospects.

About Metaverse in Brief

The metaverse has become much more than a buzzword. It’s a potentially trillion-dollar industry that can open up the doors to numerous digital opportunities. A recent Citi’s report projected that the market size of the metaverse could reach USD13 trillion by 2030. That means that there will be lots of investors willing to participate in this space and thus attract a vast number of metaverse developers for creating apps for VR headsets and virtual experiences. But what is “Metaverse”? The term “metaverse” was coined by Neil Stevenson three decades ago when he released the science fiction novel called Snow Crash. The novel depicted a world where people run away from their sad reality into colorful and fun virtual realities in a computer-generated universe. And this imaginary world got the name “Metaverse”. Currently, there is no common definition of the metaverse but it’s considered to be a virtual world that is hyper-realistic, immersive, and interactive owing to augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies. The survey held among game developers a few years ago in the US found that the majority of respondents settled on a definition that “metaverse” is a mix of VR, AR, 3D, AI, Blockchain, and video technologies where users live within a virtual world. Ultimately, Metaverse strives to bring the maximum life-like experiences in the digital world for the users.

Scope of Jobs in the Metaverse

When it comes to the scope of jobs, it’s amazingly vast. As we’re rapidly heading toward the next generation of the World Wide Web (Web 3.0), the scope of Metaverse jobs is increasing too. You can spot Metaverse in Advanced Gaming, Decentralized Finance (also called DeFi), Next-gen dApps, Social Media, Virtual Real-estate, Privacy and Data Management, NFT, and more spheres. Nowadays, we already have many programmers who are developing Metagames and are working with VR systems based on the Metaverse concept. Huge companies like Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Meta, and more have already hired a host of Metaverse specialists because they expect an enormous rise in the Metaverse industry in the nearest future. From developers to 3D designers and Metaverse architectures, the creation of virtual worlds will require the help of many professionals. That’s why now it’s probably high time to ask the question “How to become a metaverse developer?”. Let us reflect on the main responsibilities and the top required skills that you should find out before pursuing the role of a metaverse developer.

What Do Metaverse Developers Do?

As you’ve probably guessed, Metaverse developers ought to primarily create a digital and immersive world. They need to build specific applications, platforms, and games which could interact with the users through VR, AR, and AI technologies. Metaverse developers can work on gaming projects like first-person shooters and role-playing games, as well as on environments that users can explore with their family and friends. And not only that. Metaverse developers can also create new environments based on different activities to help users practice new skills like cooking or doing yoga. The beauty is that you can explore the unlimited possibilities of the Metaverse day by day. If to turn to a more techy side, Metaverse developers should design mixed-reality experiences for a virtual world or a Web3 platform. They should write, debug, and execute the application code, as well as develop virtual experiences through digital art. Actually, designing and producing 3D assets for immersive worlds is the key task of a metaverse developer.

The Differences between a Traditional and a Metaverse Developer

“Traditional” developers, as we know them, are those who are skilled in programming techniques used by conventional, Web 2.0 companies. These tech companies may specialize in web development, gaming, data science, and more. They often require the knowledge of programming languages like Java, Phyton, C#, Rust, SQL, and many others. Some of these languages are also required for Web 3.0/metaverse developer jobs; however, metaverse specialists should also possess specific additional skills that give an edge over traditional developers.

Salary

Whereas we have already talked in detail about the salaries of the traditional IT sector, let’s focus on the Metaverse. Admittedly, the Metaverse industry is relatively new compared to other fields, so there is no accurate data on the average wages of metaverse developers. But if we take Meta as an example, the company now pays almost $97,363 per year to its metaverse developers. And we bet this number will go further after we enter the active phase of Web 3.0.

Careers in the Metaverse

The role of a metaverse developer can take numerous forms and span various responsibilities. So, when looking for a role in the industry, you may face the following roles advertised:

• Metaverse Research Scientist
• VR Developer
• Metaverse Planner
• Blockchain Developer / Engineer
• Ecosystem Developer
• Metaverse Cyber Security Expert
• 3D Game Designer
• Product Manager
• NFT Developer/Strategist

Skills required for a Metaverse Developer

Yet, no matter the name of the post, there are some essential skills for Metaverse professionals. Let’s focus on them:

Computer Programming

One of the basic requirements of a metaverse developer is proficiency in programming languages like Java, Swift, Python, or others. Also, you should understand commands and concepts like encapsulation, loops, control logic, etc. Apart from development skills, you should know how to create UI/UX designs and connect Apps to API. In addition, you’ll need to use third-party libraries for enhancing or adding new functionalities to metaverse apps.

SDKs

Software development kits can come in great handy when creating metaverse apps too. Some of the most popular SDKs for Metaverse are Wikitude, Vuforia, and more. Thereby, you’ll need to concentrate on learning them if you want to start a career in Metaverse development.

3D Modelling

As Metaverse worlds must be immersive and, in most cases, three-dimensional, knowledge of 3D technology is essential for most Metaverse developers. That means developers who are going to build 3D experiences should be able to work with Unreal Engine and Unity tools.

VR/ AR Technologies

As metaverse creators constantly look for new ways to shape the most immersive environments and interfaces ever, Metaverse actively becomes to rely on VR, AR, and Mixed-reality technologies to bridge the gap between the real and virtual worlds. Therefore, expertise in XR technologies will undoubtedly be a bonus. You should know all the terminologies and concepts.

Blockchain / NFT Engineering

Blockchain is already an integral part of many virtual worlds, so metaverse developers must be able to design blockchain protocols. The most popular language in the blockchain development sphere is currently Solidity, so it’s a nice idea to start with it.

Data Skills

The digital world is full of data, and Metaverse is no exception. It includes a lot of information gathered from the real world that is further used to build more immersive environments for users. So, most likely, metaverse developers should be ready to work with data.

Artificial Intelligence

AI is an integral part of the metaverse industry. AI is deployed for decentralization and self-governance in Metaverse. That’s why AI development skills will be much welcomed.

Cyber Security

Just like in many other fields, security is one of the most crucial things in Metaverse. As the metaverse is going to be the venue for everything from e-shopping to healthcare services, valuable data should be totally secured. Hence, the enhanced need for cyber security skills.

Project Management

People with project management expertise will also be in high demand. If you have good project management skills, you may ensure that every step of the project will be executed to a high standard, with the highest quality.

Creative Vision and Thinking

Unless you don’t have a creative vision and creative thinking, you won’t be able to create attractive Metaverse applications. Metaverse developers need to be creative in order to develop new ways for the applications to interact with the users in the most exciting way possible. Also, without a creative mindset, you won’t be able to come up with a unique and engaging design. That’s why you should be able to think out-of-the-box.

Ethics and Social Responsibility

Among soft skills, ethics and high social responsibility are the winners when it comes to the metaverse. A developer creating a metaverse environment must have a high responsibility to minimize the chances of negative consequences both to individuals and the whole environment.

Other Soft Skills

The importance of other soft skills won’t go unnoticed as well. We bet the most important of them is the desire to stay updated with the latest trends. Just like with “traditional” development, you should follow the emerging trends closely and then apply the new practices for metaverse development. Besides that, good communication skills and the ability to work in a team will surely help you climb up the career ladder faster. Summing it all up, it’s fair to say that if you’d like to become a metaverse developer, you need to be proficient in coding and know how virtual worlds work. Additionally, you should be familiar with 3D modeling and have a solid understanding of the Metaverse mechanics and design.

Conclusion

The swiftly-growing metaverse world is a fantastic opportunity for many developers to enter the industry that is likely to revolutionize the way how the internet works and how people interact with each other. Metaverse has a really huge potential, so there’s lots of room for growth for developers. And the best part is that the race to develop the metaverse is just getting started. It’s an exciting time to jump in. So, let’s learn Java with CodeGym to get a main building block for your Metaverse career!