Metaverses, also called “virtual worlds,” are computer generated, immersive, three-dimensional environments that allow people from around the globe to interact with one another through “avatars” (digital bodies) and to shape their environments, both individually and collectively, by using graphical and programming tools.

In process of development since the 1980s, virtual worlds now have more than 12 million participants, and include such venues as Second Life, OpenSim, VastPark, Blue Mars, and World of Warcraft. Metaverses – virtual worlds - are like photography, cinema, video, and electronic music were in their early years in that they provide the opportunity, in the form of a new technology, for radically innovative forms of aesthetic expression.