What Can You Do in the Metaverse: Find Your Place in Decentraland

By Decentraland, , in About Decentraland

‘Is the metaverse built yet?’ This question often arises in discussions about the evolving 3D spatial internet ecosystem that is already changing our digital experiences. But just as the Internet continually evolves, shaped by innovative minds and organizations, 'the metaverse' too is set on a course of constant change, shaped by the people who use it. People like you.

If you’re new to Decentraland, you may be wondering, ‘What can you do in the metaverse?’ or more specifically, ‘What can I do in Decentraland?’ Set apart from other metaverses and virtual worlds, Decentraland is unique in that it is owned and created by its users. This means that, in addition to exploring and enjoying the virtual world, there’s a whole range of activities you can experience and even roles and job opportunities you can take advantage of in Decentraland.

Whether you’re new to Decentraland or looking to get more involved, this breakdown of all the different things you can do in Decentraland is for you. We’ll cover how you can:

Experience: Exploring the virtual world, gaming, and making friends

Create: Unleashing your creativity and skills with the freedom of the digital medium while monetizing your work

Influence: Voting responsibly as a Decentraland citizen and taking an active part in shaping the future of the virtual world.

In short, this guide will cover what you can do for the metaverse and what the metaverse can do for you!

Roles covered: Explorer or Gamer, Wearable Designer, Emote Creator, Experience/Game Developer, Metaverse Architect, Web3 Consultant, Event Planner, Entrepreneur, Decentraland Citizen, and Platform Contributor. 

DCL Party
DCL Party

Experience: Make friends, play games, explore, and discover

🌎 Explorer or Gamer 🕹️

Key tools: Events page, Places, Worlds

As an Explorer or Gamer in Decentraland you may not be the one building the virtual world’s ecosystem, but simply being part of the community, attending events, and enjoying the various available activities is a vital role. After all, what good is an immersive virtual world without people to enjoy it? 

Your first port of call is the Events page which lists all of the daily happenings, big and small, and those coming up. Through events you’ll not only make new friends, but discover popular places and experiences. 

If you want to feel like a true explorer, you can adventure across Decentraland’s massive Genesis City, discovering dynamic content from different creators built side by side. However, if you’d rather hop from place to place, you can browse locations of interest through the Places page. Here you’ll not only find unique builds to explore, but fully fledged experiences and games, such as classics like WonderMine, GolfCraft, and Decentral Games, and newer offers such as, Wilderness P2E, Vroomway, Knights of Antrom, Butterfly Prawn Farm, Meta GamiMall, Soul Magic, and many others.

If you really want to jump off the map—literally—check out the Worlds section of the Places page. Worlds are personal spaces that exist within the larger ecosystem of Decentraland, separate from the map of Genesis City, and are available to anyone who claims a Decentraland NAME. People often use them to unleash their creativity and experiment with scenes & experiences and can list them in the directory if they want others to discover their creations. 

Be it exploration, socialization, or the fun of gaming you’re looking for, Decentraland is ready for you to discover all amongst its ever-changing landscape—don’t hesitate, jump in!

Get started:

  • Find a gathering to join on the Events page

  • Start exploring Decentraland from its very center, Genesis Plaza

  • Search through the Places page to find interesting scenes, games, and Worlds to discover.

2023 manifiesto-render
2023 manifiesto-render

Create: The only limit is your imagination

👗 Wearable Designer

Key tools: Blender, Wearables Editor (Builder), Decentraland Marketplace

If you’ve had any exposure to Decentraland, there’s a good chance Metaverse Fashion Week is one of the experiences that’s popped up on your radar. The four-day festival of digital fashion is the premier event on the industry’s calendar and attracts global brands like adidas, DKNY, Tommy Hilfiger, Coach and more. It’s also a fantastic showcase of the work of Decentraland’s Wearables designers.

The creative freedom offered in makes Decentraland a mecca for virtual fashion. Floating elements, glowing fabrics, robot prosthetics, alien bodies—anything is possible when the only limit is your imagination! From outfits to accessories and even whole skins, Wearables allow everyone to become their true selves in Decentraland. 

With the rapid development of interoperable assets— items that can effectively be transported outside of Decentraland and even used in other virtual worlds—Wearables and indeed other creations available in the Marketplace, could eventually be seen elsewhere in the metaverse or even in your next online meeting!

Using the free program Blender, you can design your own Wearables to start making a name for yourself in Decentraland’s fashion scene and growing your Wearable business. One of the benefits of creating in Decentraland is that creators keep 97.5% of each primary sale (the remaining 2.5% fund community grants) and earn 2.5% royalties on each secondary sale. On top of that, you can see the impact your work makes on the community at large. It’s a special feeling to be able to walk around Decentraland and see people wearing your creations!

Get started:

🕺 Emote Creator

Key tools: Blender, Decentraland Avatar Rig 

Emotes are the animations you can make your avatars perform to show appreciation, greet others, or bust a move at events and parties. There are a selection of Emotes that come free with all avatars, however anyone can create their own custom Emotes and offer them for sale through the Marketplace, transforming creative skills into revenue. Just like with Wearables, creators retain 97.5% of the profits from each primary sale and 2.5% royalties on secondary sales.

Community-made Emotes bring Decentraland avatars to life and put the ability to completely customize your digital persona in your hands. Show Decentraland your true self and help others do the same by making your own Emotes. Learn more about the significance of community-made Emotes and why you should get involved in their creation in this article, created to celebrate a year of these wonderful community creations.

Get started:

🧩 Experience/Game Developer

Key tools: Blender, SDK 7, Worlds, Builder, Awesome Repository

Experiences are the lifeblood of the Decentraland virtual world and come in all different flavors. They can be anything from games to interactive scenes and brand activations to art installations.

Whether the experience you design is at a client’s request or an idea from your own imagination, a deep understanding of how visitors use the metaverse, move through spaces, play games, etc. are crucial. As is a solid knowledge of the tools and mechanics at your disposal to create experiences. With these skills at your disposal, you could create immersive experiences in Decentraland for others to enjoy and start growing your own business building for clients through Decentraland Studios and beyond, like many other studios that were founded on the opportunities offered by Decentraland.

Get started:

🏛️ Metaverse Architect

Key tools: Builder, SDK 7, Blender, Awesome Repository

All of those spectacular structures you see in Decentraland, from Genesis Plaza to the Museum District, Fashion District, and beyond, were all created by metaverse architects. If you just want to focus on the design and beauty of a structure or space, rather than crafting an entire interactive experience, then this is the role for you.

Metaverse Architects may come from traditional architecture firms in the physical world, or they may be self-taught members from the community, others leverage AI tools to inform and manifest incredible, gravity-defying creations. The one thing they all have in common is the desire to push the boundaries of design and produce 3D structures that inspire. 

Within Decentraland, there is no limit to what you can design, no rules of physics to stand in your way. The potential for great architectural works in the spatial internet is so impressive that a global celebration of the art form, Metaverse Architecture Biennale, is even held in Decentraland to exhibit the breathtaking results. Build up a portfolio of your work and start finding clients through Decentraland Studios.

Get started:

🤝 Web3 Consultant

Key tools: Events page, Worlds, LAND Rentals, Decentraland Studios, and generally, a holistic understanding of the aims, mechanics, and opportunities offered in Decentraland

Web3 consultants help brands and companies learn what’s possible in Decentraland and work with them to develop a successful spatial internet strategy. They either have in-house developers who can go on to create the brand experience, or connect companies with builders. Consultants can also work with the Decentraland Foundation’s Partnerships team for marketing support, however the platform is set up in such a way that consultants can work autonomously to bring brands and companies into the virtual world.

Get started:

  • Check out the Decentraland Studios page to see some of the consultants working in this space and the projects they’ve delivered.

  • See Q&A sessions with Creative Departmint and Polygonal Mind who respectively helped launch successful metaverse campaigns for CBS’ Ghosts and Mountain Dew in Decentraland.

📅 Event Planner

Key tools: Events page, Worlds, LAND Rentals, Decentraland Studios

Event Planning may share a lot of similarities with the Web3 Consultant role, although it has the option of being smaller in scope while more hands-on. Someone who is familiar with Decentraland’s ecosystem & community and is active in the virtual world’s always-active event scene could find success as an Event Planner in Decentraland.

You’re an active Decentralite, know the secret to an enticing event listing, have connections with popular Decentraland musicians, and could match a client with the perfect venue for their event, be it a specific LAND or established event venue for rent or even a World utilizing one of Decentraland’s pre-built scene templates. If this sounds like you or like something you’d like to do, then being a Decentraland Event Planner could be the perfect role for you!

Get started:

  • Start attending events! Meet the community, make connections, and learn first-hand what makes a successful event in Decentraland.

  • In addition to creators who can build whole scenes and design Wearables for you events, Decentraland Studios also lists those who have venues for rent as well as entertainment options to offer. Browse through the registry to discover what’s available.

  • Meet some of the community through the community-organized Discord server, Decentraland Community Building

💡 Entrepreneur

Key tools: Pre-built templates, Decentraland Studios, Events page, Worlds

In Decentraland, an entrepreneur is anyone who sets out to run a business or capitalize on their own skills in the virtual world. Typically this could be someone who uses the platform to offer an attraction or service, or they could be representing themselves, like a musician or digital artist offering their work through Decentraland Studios. Additionally, an entrepreneur could be a LAND owner who rents their estates via the Marketplace. 

In terms of the music sector, DJs and other types of musical artists regularly organize concerts and parties in Decentraland and are often in high demand for various events. Decentraland even has an annual music festival. As for other businesses, if you’re inspired and think your business would benefit the Decentraland ecosystem, consider applying for a community grant, it’s possible that the DAO could help you make it a reality. Decentraland is full of opportunities, the only thing missing is your idea!

Get started:

Untitled design (3)
Untitled design (3)

Influence: Take an active role in affecting how Decentraland operates

🗳️ Decentraland Citizen

Key tools: Decentraland’s Governance Forums

Unlike many other virtual worlds, Decentraland is not a business owned by a corporate entity that decides what will or will not happen to the platform. Instead, it is Decentraland’s community of users that direct and shape the virtual world’s future through Decentraland’s governance branch. This is what makes Decentraland decentralized.

This governance branch is referred to as the Decentraland DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization) and takes shape as a set of forums where proposals and grant requests are voted on and discussed. 

In any governance system, voters play an important role and carry a certain amount of responsibility. Staying informed on what’s happening in Decentraland, reading through new proposals and offering thoughts, submitting proposals, and most importantly, voting on proposals and grants are among the activities of a dedicated Decentraland citizen.

This is in many ways one of the most important roles in Decentraland. When you own MANA (Decentraland’s virtual currency), LAND, or a NAME, you own a piece of the virtual world. Therefore, stepping up to ensure its ongoing development and prosperity is crucial to its future.

Get started:

  • Read all about the DAO and how you can get involved, then start voting on some of the key proposals put forward by members of the community.

🌐 Platform Contributor

Key tools: Github

Since all of Decentraland’s code is open source, people are free to make their own tools and features for the ecosystem, such as DCL-Edit or  WeMeta, make alternative branches of the virtual world, like the 2D pixel art version 2dlc, or add directly to the platform's code.

As such, these Platform Contributors play a key role in improving the user experience and evolving the platform. To encourage more people to get involved, the Foundation published the Contributor section in the Docs. It contains information about what Decentraland’s code does and how it is structured.

Many of those people who benefit from the Decentraland DAO Grants Program fall under the category of Platform Contributors. If you have an idea for how you can contribute but think you’ll need some support, consider putting together a proposal.

Get started:

  • Dive into the Contributors section in Decentraland’s Docs.

The metaverse is only as engaging and inspiring as those who jump in and get their virtual hands dirty. And the whole point of Decentraland is to be a vibrant space owned and created by its users—that means YOU. So, if any of the above roles appeals, then you’re warmly welcomed to get involved. 

Get to know some of the amazing community members who make up this vibrant world in the community-organized Discord server, Decentraland Community Building, and learn more about the different roles Decentraland offers from their first hand experience. If you have further questions, you can always reach out to the Decentraland Foundation team via Discord, Twitter, Live Chat, or good old Email.