The future of the metaverse looks shakier than anyone can imagine. Tech companies that have bought into the concept fully—like Facebook-turned-Meta and Disney—are facing the realities of building out a concept that ostensibly already exists but has failed to achieve any real popularity. Even members of the video game industry, which has been exploring the field through virtual worlds like Second Life for years, have doubts that it will ever live up to its promise. But in this nascent stage, there is also potential: If the metaverse does take off, people building it now could avoid repeating the mistakes of the past.