To be an entrepreneur, whether it be within the world of gaming, Web3, or the Metaverse, an absolutely essential attribute one must have to succeed is curiosity, because ultimately, entrepreneurship is all about finding and learning about new things every day. That’s not to say this isn’t intimidating; it can be anxiety-inducing and nerve-wracking, either out of fear of failure or pure, self-diagnosed incompetence, but Jon advises us to simply ‘dive in’ to any new topic which grabs our curiosity. This is something he did (and still does) when learning about game creation and, as he puts it, ‘anything that I’ve gotten curious about in my life’.

In this episode of Building a Better World, Hrish is joined by Jon Radbest-sellingBeamable. They discuss how much easier the creation of games has gotten, especially in the 3D space; why curiosity is such an important, vital attribute for success as an entrepreneur, especially in the world of gaming, Web3, or the Metaverse; and how the hype-cycle of the Metaverse has changed within the last year - has it died down or grown? They also delve into how the Metaverse impacts culture and the ways in which it can be improved for future use, and why the next decade will be a super exciting one for AI technologies.

Jon is CEO of Beamable. He is also a best selling author of ‘Game On: Energize Your Business with Social Media Games’, the Managing Director of MetaVert LLC, and is an Advisor for a number of gaming and NFT businesses such as Burn Ghost, Subversive Capital, MetaMundo, and Collector. Needless to say, Jon’s career is an extensive and prolific one.

The Growth of Video Game Creation - The creation of video games has evolved in such an interesting way over the last ten years. Whilst it looks more complex, Jon explains that it has actually gotten a lot easier, no longer having to create every single thing from scratch. 

Dive Into Your Curiosity - As someone who not only has an extensive career in the video game and online industry but also climbs mountains and enjoys cooking delicious food, Jon encourages us to dive into our curiosity and cross the threshold. After all, it’s what entrepreneurs do best, and should any of us want to be successful in that area, then we must think with an open mind and a whole lot of resilience.

The Importance of Our Digital Representation - Jon points out that, despite our physical, living nature, ever since the introduction of the internet and social media, our own digital representation and image have become more important than ever. This is most likely why the Metaverse has turned so many heads because it means that people can create avatars of and express themselves, the same way you would wear clothes or put on makeup. It is simply the next, natural step in the evolution of our digital footprint.

Opportunities to Co-Create Experiences with Customers - Did you ever ask yourself why games like Minecraft blew up the way they did? People love to create their own worlds; it gives them a sense of freedom not found in everyday life. This is why Jon believes in co-creating games with customers, listening to feedback and taking advice from them is so important. At the end of the day, they are the people playing the games, and if they don’t find it fun, then you’ve made a bad game. 

The Next Decade of AI - With the creation of Alexa, ChatGPT, and DALL-E, AI is becoming more advanced by the minute. For some, this could be seen as scary, however, Jon believes it’s the opposite: it’s exciting! Just how advanced will these virtual creatures get? How much are they going to have an impact on our ever-changing world?

The Building a Better World podcast is hosted by Hrish Lotlikar. In each episode, Hrish interviews people who are involved or interested in the Metaverse, VR, and Web3, and are actively using technologies to improve people’s real-world lives in a practical way.