Edoverse Conceptual Note
Our web experience is about to go through a most radical transformation, possibly on par with the birth of the internet itself, with the advent of Metaverse, a virtual space constructed with state-of-the-art VR and 3D-CG technology that will serve, at once, as an ultra-user-friendly portal, a game platform, an e-commerce site, and a virtual society to be experienced through avatars.
Our EDOVERSE project aims to re-create, with as much historical accuracy as possible, the city of Edo – the capital of the Tokugawa Shoguns which boasted a population of one million as early as 1700. Its cultural achievements still amaze the world today (when one speaks of Japanese high culture today, it is mostly about Edo culture), and its wealth legendary throughout the world even though foreigners were off limits in Tokugawa Japan. ,
The EDOVERSE will be unique in that it will be as fantastic as Tolkien’s Middle Earth, with its own beautiful landscape, logic of life and heroes and villains, while at the same time all the details of this particular Metaverse will have solid grounds in actual history. This is possible because city life in Edo, which came to an abrupt end in 1868, had been thoroughly recorded, while the physical city was largely preserved until 1945, the year of allied bombardment of most Japanese cities. Entering EDOVERSE could thus be an experience comparable to a travel to the most exotic locales of the world today.
EDOVERSE will consist of several components.
landmarks as Nihonbashi bridge (constructed by the order of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the 1st Shogun), Edo Castle, major Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, the bustling commercial district around Nihonbashi, the Edo mansions of the Daimyo – the feudal lords, the official red light district of Yoshiwara, will be reconstructed with as much historical accuracy as possible, and the missing components will be filled in with educated imagination. To this end, the author of this note will organize a committee of prominent experts.
Game dimension. The player will start his avatar life as a Ronin, or unemployed samurai, in either the city of Edo with its rules, regulasion and social mores as designed by the Tokugawa Shogunate, or the chaotic world of Sengoku, or the chaotic civil war years. We intend the game avatar to be a Ronin because, as an unemployed samurai, he (rarely a she) is ambitious and skilled and educated in many ways, ideal for a character in any game. His mindset, in that he can imagine the world as both a stage and the object of his ambition, is similar to that of the player. The games with Edo city life themes could have such themes as Bonsai, Goldfish, Sumo, Kabuki, Sushi, duel between samurai, samurai seeking vengeance, and so forth. The Sengoku world shall be a platform for various types of combat and shooting games. The player can accumulate EDOVERSE crypto currency, which could be spent on achieving higher status of the avatar in this virtual society, a process which could be seen as a higher level game.
E-commerce dimension. Alliances will be made between the EDOVERSE INC and various local governments, NPOs and corporations to create merchandizes and services that could be purchased only with EDOVERSE crypto currencies or only through EDOVERSE E-commerce functions. 4. Virtual Society. Avatars will be provided with a wide range of goods, services and assets with which to express itself, enable and empower interaction with other avatars, and improve its standing within EDOVERSE society. The player will also be provided with real-world arts and crafts related to the avatars she operates in EDOVERST, such as various wares decorated with the family crest of the avatar, Japanese drawing (Nihon-ga) portrait of avatar or player, Japanese style seal for avatar or player (the style and rank the player can assume in these arts and craft will be determined by the social rank of his avatar).