Making money in the metaverse: Early adopters seek real-life fortunes in virtual world

The metaverse has recently become a buzzword in the tech world and beyond. It represents a further migration from the real world to a digital reality, and it's also a place where users can own their virtual assets thanks to the blockchain. Blockchain, the underlying technology of cryptocurrency, is a digital ledger that records transactions and securely tracks digital assets.

In the metaverse, these assets can be digital art, video game characters and even parcels of virtual land, which have seen meteoric rises in value in the last year. In November 2021, a plot of land in the virtual world Decentraland sold for $2.4 million.

Some early adopters of the metaverse are making real-life fortunes in the virtual world — though it's not without risk.