This couple will hold wedding reception at Hogwarts in metaverse!
What's the story
A Tamil Nadu couple, who met on Instagram, is checking several boxes with their upcoming wedding reception. Following their February wedding, they are all set to have their reception in the metaverse, which is a virtual universe where people can share real-time experiences with others. Moreover, the special day will cater to their love for Harry Potter as the location is the Hogwarts castle.
Context
Why does the story matter?
To give you context, metaverse as a term was coined by Neal Stephenson when he mentioned it in his 1992 sci-fi novel Snow Crash. It can be defined as a form of media that sees the convergence of physical, augmented, and virtual realities in an online space. Once you enter a metaverse, you will be able to interact with other users using avatars.
Details
Interested in blockchain technology, groom came up with the idea
The idea of going all "meta" first came to Dinesh SP, the groom, who is a project associate at IIT Madras, reported ToI. Interested in cryptocurrency and blockchain technology, Dinesh wondered if digital reception was possible, given metaverse incorporates the technology of blockchain into it. His fiancée, software developer Janaganandhini Ramaswamy, readily agreed to the proposal. The arrangement also works well for COVID-19 restrictions.
Reception
Invitees will be able to choose avatars before joining reception
Once the idea was finalized, Dinesh contacted Vignesh Selvaraj of Quatics Tech, an app development firm. Now, the reception will be held in a specific metaverse, called TardiVerse. While the groom and bride's avatars will be wearing traditional clothes, invitees will be able to choose their avatars before joining in. The reception has been set in the dining hall at Hogwarts.
Twitter Post
Check out 'Harry Potter'-themed wedding reception invite here
I feel so proud and blessed that I have seen and taken advantage of many great opportunities in this world before millions of people have seen them, Beginning of something big! India’s first #metaverse marriage in Polygon blockchain collaborated with TardiVerse Metaverse startup. pic.twitter.com/jTivLSwjV4
— Dinesh Kshatriyan 💜 (@kshatriyan2811) January 11, 2022
(Un)real
Mark Zuckerberg is pushing for establishing footing in metaverse technology
Notably, the metaverse craze has been on a steady rise in recent years. Most famously, in July last year, Mark Zuckerberg told his employees that Facebook will "effectively" transition from "being a social media company to being a metaverse company." Thereafter, working toward its goal, the company changed its name to Meta from Facebook in October. A big, albeit virtual, change is here, fellas!