Travis Scott’s 'Fortnite' Concert Is A Window Into Our Future
Six-time Grammy-nominated rapper, Travis Scott will be performing a concert over Fortnite. For anyone unfamiliar, Fortnite is less of a video game and more of a cultural phenomenon at this point, as countless Vines, dances, and a previous in-game-concert featuring Marshmallow can attest to (It drew over 10 million viewers by the way.). But Travis Scott's 'Astronomical' promises to roast that number over an open fire and stick it between crackers with chocolate because, thanks stay-at-home orders all over the world, people won't have much better to do than to tune in.
But why does this matter to anyone who doesn't give a shit Travis Scott or Fortnite? It matters because this concert could be testing grounds for the future "Metaverse," aka, the successor to the Internet. Yes, we know it sounds like we haven't stopped puffing on yesterday's special 4/20 bong, and we're only going to sound more like stoners as we go on, but we promise this is legitimately the way the tech industry sees this development. The Metaverse, in simple terms, is a virtual, communal world that we can inhabit through avatars. Fortnite does just that, albeit only 100 members at a time, but as the technology and usage grows then so too will our ability to interact within that space. Imagine hopping on to Fortnite and not only being able to see a concert, but also playing a game of minigolf, or interviewing a celebrity, or smoking a virtual 4/20 bong.
It seems like a pipe dream right now, but there's a reason Netflix considers Fortnite its biggest competitor and not other streaming platforms like Hulu or HBO. There's a reason that Facebook keeps investing billions into virtual reality, despite its user base not giving a shit about anything past sharing Minions memes. They recognize that the future may very well end up looking like this silly concert.
There are a lot of other factors outlining exactly how the Metaverse could come to exist and the ramifications of such a development (If you're interested in a more in-depth look, then I'd highly recommend you read this essay.). In the meantime, kick back, relax and maybe check out 'Astronomical.' You'll have to log on to Fortnite to do it, but you might as well make an account now because that might be your new backyard someday.
Top Image: Epic Games/ In-Game Travis Scott Astro Head
