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Decentraland is bringing Pride back to the metaverseย network, today unveiling plans for its 2023 event and parade that are designed to be even bigger than before.
Created alongside community studios Polygonal Mind and Vegas City, Decentralandโs Metaverseย network Pride 2023 will run from June 27 to June 29. The three-day event is designed to โcelebrate the diversity of the worldwide LGBTQIA+ community, engender inclusivity, and add to the storied history of Pride month,โ per an official description.
Building on the foundations laid out by the 2022 event, Decentralandโs Metaverseย network Pride 2023 will be larger than in lastย years with users able to experience it across a larger virtual area.
โBurning Man is a big inspiration for the event,โ Metaverseย network Pride head Iara Dias tells Decrypt, with the iconic festival sharing a focus on community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance within Decentraland in general.
The area for Pride 2023 will resemble an oasis in a desert, with the scene changing as more people take part to represent โhow important the support of other people is.โ Users will likewise leave behind rainbow footprints in the virtual space and โconstantly experience a different environment,โ reportsย by Dias.
Inย termsย ofย the musical performance, The Decentraland Foundation desiresย to focus on artists from the existing LGBTQ+ Decentraland community, offering them not only a platform but likewise financial backing. The Foundation is in talks with a variety of different artists asย ofย now, but even if deals arenโt sorted in time for Pride, theyโll be invited to perform throughout the year.
โItโs criticalย to give space to queer artists wherever and whenever,โ Dias says. โPride isnโt just about fun and games. Itโs about giving economic stability for community creators, who canย potentially find it difficult to get space elsewhere.โ
Users will likewise be able to take part in a virtual parade via player-created floats, plus the Decentraland Foundation is likewise organizing a Metaverseย network Pride wearable design contest to be held in the weeks leading up to the event.
The Ad Councilโs โLove Has No Labelsโ campaign will join Decentralandโs virtual Pride event to celebrate diversity and inclusivity in the metaverseย network, with Pride 2023 likewise offering educational gamified experiences, panel discussions, and Q&A sessions to explore the history of LGBTQ+ communities alongside current affairs and worldwide issues.
โItโs so important because Decentraland has such a worldwide audience, but we know that some of these educational materials may not be as available to everyone as they are to me in North America,โ reveals Kim Currier, the Decentraland Foundationโs marketing lead. โWe wanted to secure that if thereย is aย chance to share content universally, that we do it in a way thatโs really inclusive.โ
Throughout the experience, there will be safe spaces for users to connect with one another and share their own experiences, which is a โfundamentalโ aspect of the event to Dias.
Participants will have to agree to a code of conduct before entering, with Artificialย Intelligenceย (AI) bots on hand to deal out bans if anyone makes another user feel unsafe. โItโs all about love and respect,โ adds Dias.
โThere are so numerous places aroundย theย globe where people canโt take part in Pride, either because itโs illegal or because someone canย potentially not feel ready to come out isย still. Digital identity can empower you in real life as well,โ Dias continues, explaining how users can experiment with clothing or interactions in a safe space thatโs free from judgment or physicalย world repercussions.
โI believe that we can create real change, one avatar at a time,โ reveals Dias.
Currier adds that the pseudonymity of the metaverseโwith vibrant and imaginative avatars supplying an array of presentation optionsโ impliesย that there are โa lot less of the assumptions and questions that happen in a traditional world.โ
โThe digital space is allowing people to really express the full spectrum of who they are,โ reveals Currier. โI think that theย potential to have the metaverseย network be a test and learn space for everyone, whether itโs testing tech or if itโs testing how you want to express yourself, is really beautiful.โย
Every aspect of Decentralandโs 2023 Pride event is based around collaboration. Inย reality, the foundation is asย ofย now working on a playbook that will educate users on how to put on similar events, with everything from contacts and marketing guidelines, technical specifications, and project management suggestions included.
โItโs so meaningful for us to share knowledge and empower the Decentraland community,โ reveals Dias. โItโs weird toย emphasize that the dream is us out of jobs, but yeah, thatโs the dream.โ
