TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Member of the expert council of presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto and his running partner Gibran Rakabuming's national campaign team, Budiman Sudjatmiko, revealed that the candidates have committed to developing ten metaverse cities if elected in the upcoming 2024 election.

“Nine cities will resemble nine planets, and the sun will be IKN as the super hub of the digital ecosystem. This is achievable, and there are already people [who will realize this],” Budiman said at the Indonesia Digital Summit 2023 at Four Seasons Hotel Jakarta, on Tuesday, Nov. 28.

Building such a digital ecosystem in one city requires an investment of US$8.6 billion, which is equivalent to Rp125 trillion. Budiman said the government will join hands with other stakeholders to make it happen.

What is a metaverse city?

A metaverse city is an evolution of the metaverse concept. The term first appeared when Facebook changed its name to Meta. Quoting from Bina Nusantara University’s page sis.binus.ac.id, a metaverse is the concept of a persistent, online, 3D universe that combines numerous different virtual places.

Metaverse allows users to collaborate, meet, play games, and interact in a 3D space, similar to a video game that provides a real-life experience to its users.

The US-based advocacy group National League of Cities (NLC) on its nlc.org page described a metaverse as a solution to the imperfect experience of virtual communication.

While there is no single, agreed-upon definition of the metaverse, it is commonly understood to mix real and digital experiences.

Blockchain and the Internet of Things (IoT) are the foundation of the metaverse, and city governments worldwide, including Orlando and Seoul, are already embracing these technologies in innovative ways to simplify city operations, attract tourists, and manage critical resources.

Seoul has been designated as a metaverse city since 2021, according to the World Economic Forum on its site weforum.org. South Korea's capital city established its own metaverse program, which enables activities other than gaming, such as bureaucratic work, tax payments, administrative operations, education, tourism, and other civil services.

ANANDA RIDHO SULISTYA

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