Metaverse and ‘the Italian job’: closed and open models of virtual worlds in Cultural Heritage domain

Augusto Palombini

«Archeologia e Calcolatori» 2024, 35.2, 129-135; doi: 10.19282/ac.35.2.2024.14

Abstract

After the initial enthusiasm for a hypothetical explosion of the metaverse phenomenon, which then waned, a careful analysis can reveal a possible dual model in the planning of this technology. On one hand, a closed, basically monopolistic, approach aimed at market concentration, and on the other a fragmented approach, starting from the bottom, consisting of small interoperating entities. This second model, in recent years, characterized in Italy a series of metaverse initiatives linked to the enhancement of Cultural Heritage and seems to be the most promising at the moment, provided that the longstanding issue of reproduction rights of the Heritage itself is addressed and resolved, preferably with an open approach: a crucial issue in the new digital scenarios.

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