A metaverse is a virtual world that parallels the real world. The core idea of a metaverse is to create an integrated digital space encompassing both the virtual and the real, in which users can interact, create, communicate and experience.
To explor how might human exist in the metaverse, our project focused on speculative design of future food experience in the metaverse.
We started to think about what can't be realised in real world, but can be realised in the metaverse? In the real world, food provides the energy and nutrition needed by the body every day, but the effects of food in the real world are hard to be seen by others, for example: "I feel happy because l drank a glas of Coca Cola", or "I feel relaxed because l ate green food".
However, in the metaverse, we can visualise the effect of food in the metaverse, showing others our emotional state after eating, by consuming different types of food and obtaining various appearances of different styles. Those digital virtual appearances are not only visual decorations but also serve as positive feedback for the user's eating behaviors. When users in the metaverse consume specific foods, they could gain corresponding appearance that is visually appealing and unique, enhancing the user's eating experience.
Meanwhile, this system could also help people develop healthier dietary perspectives through positive feedback in the virtual world. For example, consuming vegetables and fruits in the virtual world could give the users amazing appearances, encouraging people to keep a healthy diet.
At the same time, we noticed the issues of body image anxiety and eating disorders in society today. Under the pressure of achieving an ideal body figure, some individuals might avoid food, even leading to serious eating disorders. However, if we could add more positive meaning into the act of eating through this design, we might provide a new perspective for encouraging people to enjoy food.
