Avatars with Agendas

The metaverse, once a sci-fi fantasy, is now a growing part of digital life. First coined by Neal Stephenson in his 1992 novel “Snow Crash”, the vaguely defined term usually describes immersive virtual spaces where users, represented by avatars, interact in 3D environments that persist even after they log off. In fiction, these virtual worlds give humanity a chance to evolve. Stephenson described the metaverse as the evolution of the internet.

Metaverses echo elements of real life, with a dose of fantasy: digital twins of cities, imaginary realms shaped by game rules, or bespoke environments built from code and whim. Since the launch of Second Life in 2003, many argue, metaverses have ceased to be fiction. If you and others can access these digital worlds—on phones, computers, or VR headsets—and interact under shared rules, the result resembles a digital polity.

Video games are today’s most popular metaverses. Roblox, a metaverse platform, already has over 88 million daily users. In its multi-user spaces, players communicate, collaborate, and play in an open environment. But beyond entertainment, could the evolution of the internet become a new arena for politics?

Just as public squares evolved into spaces of political debate, dissent, and union, the metaverse may be next

Politics in games is nothing new. But there is a difference between politics in traditional games and metaverses. In games like "Assassin’s Creed Unity", set during the French Revolution, or "RIOT: Civil Unrest", where players can experience a riot from the viewpoints of both protesters and police officers, politics serves the setting only: players compete against a computer-controlled “crowd”, decorative or dramatic, in a scripted experience.

Remove the script. Add a crowd of real people, free to interact in open virtual worlds. That is how spaces—digital or physical—begin to shape politics. There have been such examples. Minecraft, Fortnite, and World of Warcraft offer social spaces in the metaverse that blend entertainment with community life. Some players have built and used them to skirt censorship in autocracies; others have staged protests reflecting political grievances. Politics has entered the virtual room.

A striking example is the Uncensored Library, built in Minecraft by Reporters Without Borders and collaborators in 2020. In countries such as Russia, Iran, and Belarus, where journalism is heavily censored, players access banned news in multiple languages.

Around the same time, during the COVID-19 lockdown, Animal Crossing became a new canvas for activism. PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) staged a virtual protest against fishing inside the game, pushing a vegan playstyle and calling on museums to empty aquariums.

The social distancing of the early 2020s might have helped metaverses evolve. But, since 2005, players have used the metaverse World of Warcraft to organise the Proudmoore Pride Parade in support of LGBTQ+ rights. For over a decade now, these in-game marches have helped build identity, solidarity, and belonging. More than just a platform for demonstration, these digital guilds—reflecting actual social groups—have created meaningful emotional bonds offline.

These examples illustrate that metaverses, like physical spaces, can be politicised, reinterpreted, and occupied (game developers have now designed in-game festivals like Oktoberfest, in Guild Wars, and concerts in Fortnite and Roblox; others have organised funerals). They also illustrate how metaverses emulate moral emotions such as pride, joy, or grief linked to identity and social causes. This emotional dynamic echoes Max Weber’s idea of “communalisation”: people gather first to share a goal but over time the group becomes meaningful in itself.

That is key. Politics won’t move masses unless it moves their feelings. Metaverses, likewise, operate on emotional feedback. To make decisions, participants role-play with stakes, choices, and convictions. These decisions stem from a mix of physical actions, perceptions, and cognitive processes. Emotions can mobilise groups and identities in sports, protests, social movements, and elections. Metaverses can emulate similar dynamics online when crowds interact.

Just as public squares evolved into spaces of political debate, dissent, and union, the metaverse may be next. Looking ahead, politicians are already exploring how to connect with citizens in virtual reality, through town hall meetings. As metaverses become politicised, they will likely influence our interaction with politics offline. With the MORES project, we are exploring how. This summer, we are launching a metaverse experiment. Anyone can participate. For the latest updates about it, we encourage you to follow our social media channels.

From research to in-game simulations, our research on metaverses may show that a once-fictional idea could give citizens an opportunity to strengthen their emotional response to social causes and politics.

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Further Reading

Fillieule, O. (1997). Stratégies de la rue : Les manifestations en France (p. 44). Presses de Sciences Po.

Weber, Max (1978) [1921, 1968]. Roth, Guenter; Wittich, Claus (eds.). Economy and Society. University of California Press.

Le Bon, G. (1895) The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind. Transaction, London.