What Will Denver Look Like in the Metaverse?

This month, Seoul plans to launch the first stage of Metaverse Seoul, an ambitious five-year plan to code a digital re-creation of the South Korean capital. When it’s finished, residents will be able to explore historical sites, tour museums, attend virtual events, and even stop by City Hall to hack away at red tape without leaving their couches. Given Governor Jared Polis’ love of all things high-tech—including collecting state taxes in cryptocurrencies—it’s only a matter of time until Colorado follows suit, starting with our own capital city. Which is why we came up with some of Metaverse Denver’s most important points of interest.

Larimer Square

Pop into the modern-day version’s boutique shops and high-end restaurants or activate the Wild West filter and experience the block in all its Victorian glory. Back then, cigar factories, hotels, saloons, and a dance hall (whose floor was suspended by cables for extra spring) lined the street.

Coors Field

If we can build the stadium out of binary code, surely we can thicken the atmosphere to help the Rockies’ beleaguered bullpen.

Affordable Housing

It’s expensive to buy in Denver (the median home price here was $640,554 in August, according to Zillow)—but not in Detroit ($69,857). So purchasing physical real estate in the Motor City and “living” virtually in your very own mile-high McMansion would deliver the best of both worlds.

Casa Bonita

Maybe things will improve when the restaurant reopens, but a virtual visit in which we’re able to skip the food but still watch the cliff divers sounds better than a trip IRL.

Cherry Creek Trail

This way, all the cyclists breaking the multiuse path’s 15 mph speed limit can simply pixel through our avatars instead of almost mowing us over.

A 15er

With no need to fly anymore, we can replace Denver International Airport with Colorado’s first 15,000-foot mountain. (Mt. Illuminati, maybe?) But we’ll be sure to keep Blucifer around to greet hikers at the summit.