Meet the creators of the Metaverse: Neyha from Wilderness

by James · December 25, 2022

Today I’m talking to Neyha, co-founder and CEO of Wilderness P2Ea fantasy themed MMORPG based in Decentralized country. She has been project manager for Wilderness P2E since December ’21, building this game ecosystem powered by some wizard-themed NFT rewards and engaging multiplayer game mechanics. She is a software engineer by profession with a burning fascination for art and design. Neyha admits that living in the Metaverse and exploring while building this game has helped her expand her horizons of self-discovery and growth.

Table of Contents

Tell me what your IRL life is like when you’re not in the Metaverse?

I live in a hill station called Mussoorie, hidden somewhere in the mountains of northern India, more like IRL Wilderness. I live alone with my computers and a large amount of Himalayan tea bags and wine. A typical day for me starts with a sparkling cup of hot tea before I log in and meet my friends in the Metaverse and ends with me enjoying some wine IRL while my Decentraland avatar enjoys the WIldy wine that we offer as party favors during Wild Nights at Wilderness P2E.

Living on a hill that doesn’t have much going on, but some scenic views, I enjoy the peace and quiet and natural beauty, but it makes the Metaverse somewhat more dazzling, and is so contrasting to my IRL world. Apart from this, I love music and instruments. I’ve been a bassist and am looking to get more into making music NFTs and using them for our game backgrounds.

What is your background, and how did you end up in Decentraland?

Before Decentraland, I worked in the banking and fintech industry as a software engineer. I was an analyst in the architecture of digital banking applications. There was a web3 and crypto technology boom in my industry and I was exposed to many conferences and research papers by my peers. I was fascinated by the scalability and application of this industry and wanted to start my own quest here. Decentraland was the first platform I explored and I was blown away by its beauty, both in terms of its brilliant SDK and the visual experience as a new user.

How did you and other entrepreneurs come up with the idea for Wilderness?

When I first entered Decentraland, I wanted to explore, but also build art galleries with some technical tools for the visitors. I reconnected with one of my college seniors who was also exploring crypto, had been in FINTECH himself and wanted to start a NFT Wearables business.

We realized that we could expand our fascination with art and also use our software development skills by creating a gaming ecosystem where we offer tech-first game mechanics combined with artistically inclined NFT rewards that double as Decentraland Wearables that users earn by playing.

When did you join Decentraland, and what was your first impression?

I joined Decentraland in September 2021 and my first reaction was – wow, this is so avant-garde! I was fascinated by the beauty of how expansive it was and the endless possibilities of what it could become. I used to walk around and stumble upon different packages. It was such a diverse environment, full of varied ideas and designs.

What role does digital fashion play in the Wilderness game?

Wilderness was started with the idea of making it a very art-deco place that offers gaming portals to users. So we focused on vintage-styled Wizard-themed wearables, mainly Robes and Crowns. It was after we had operationalized and set up the game structure a bit that we had a chance to revisit the Wilderness mod. Since then, we have focused on the avant-garde aspect and renewed the game’s digital fashion.

Cyberpunk wizards, wild party attire, pet themed wizard capes are some of the few designs in the Wilderness Bazaar catalog. Although the game mechanics and stability of the economic environment of our P2E game are the foundations, digital fashion remains the exuberant center, as it signifies who we are. Our Wild Wearables represent our gaming ecosystem as well as our artistic temperament.

How do you see the future of digital wearables?

We can be who we want to be in the Metaverse, and digital fashion is the gateway. Digital Wearables are the gateway to our identity in the virtual world and the future will be dazzling.

The future of digital fashion is expansive and the possibilities are endless. IRL fashion itself has the ability to expand ideas based on different cultures, fashion styles and categories. Digital fashion provides the opportunity to embrace the overall catalog of fashion that transcends all worldly boundaries and roadblocks. There was an IRL fashion show recently where they used pixel art on models. Digital fashion art is so fun that instead of IRL fashion being copied in the digital world, it’s actually the other way around, given how vast and diverse it is. With smart wearables coming in, the future of digital fashion in Decentraland will only provide even more areas for experimentation, and connected wearables will provide more room for interoperability possibilities.

What is the biggest challenge for you as a creator?

Given my engineering background, I sometimes find my thinking skills too mechanical when it comes to fashion and design ideas for Wilderness P2E. My mind works algorithmically and I’d rather have a free flow of ideas for more fun artwork at Wilderness P2E. This is usually solved by collaborating with the brilliant designers and artists of Decentraland, such as – Michi Todd, Refraction, Yannakis and more. I look forward to learning more and more from my talented peers.

What is the future of gaming?

Gaming has always been a huge industry with a gigantic market share that is only expected to increase. Speaking in accordance with qualitative aspects of this industry, I believe we are moving into an era of more immersive gaming experiences. Games have been centralized for quite some time now. Web3 games give rise to a community of players who are able to extract financial value from the hours they spend on their games. This is a whole new industry to dive into and explore.

How would you describe the P2E concept and what is the biggest misconception people have about it?

The P2E concept offers an enjoyable gaming experience to users while allowing and encouraging them to earn money on the platform. To me, the current misconception has been the idea of viewing P2E gaming experiences as merely transactional when it’s much more immersive than farming coins. P2E games are built on communities that grow together in terms of both social and economic value. The experience of living in engaging game mechanics while earning and meeting other players in the Metaverse who also earn with you is a brilliant aspect that is often overlooked.

How do you see the future of Wilderness in 5 years – where will it be?

Villmark has been very technology-oriented until now. It is now that we have operationalized all the game mechanics and are building more community-engaging aspects. We are also expanding our fashion catalog, dwelling on new digital fashion ideas, and want to collaborate with more such fashion ventures.

As for the future, we are committed to making Wilderness an AI-enabled immersive metaverse experience that adds social and economic value to a user. Users can enter this universe, play games, earn cryptocurrency, but also engage with other Wild community members. We’ve tried to make Wilderness more immersive with each passing sprint. We’ve added an immersive bazaar where players can test out the portable NFTs they want to buy. We’ve added an AI-enabled NPC – Bob, who you can talk to about general life or the game (I wouldn’t recommend it, but Bob is a bit grumpy).

How is the Metaverse, overall, shaping your life right now?

Metaverse has given me some of the most influential people in my life. I have grown as a person over the past year. I have explored new dimensions of my interests and abilities that I have never seen before. It has been a journey of self-exploration and discovery.

From the moment I wake up, I look forward to spawning in Decentraland and meeting my friends, and maybe even sharing my Chai with them. The beauty lies in the feeling. We are from distant parts of the earth, but we are so close in the Metaverse. Metaverse has made us find and love people we may never have met IRL.

Metaverse has no boundaries and has rendered societal barriers useless. It lies on the basis of collective growth, which I relate to. The love and acceptance that can radiate from the Metaverse is blissful, and the freedom of identity just fascinates me, and I look forward to how far we can take the concept of life in the Metaverse.

Find out more about Wilderness >> Here

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