People often overlook that the metaverse concept isn't actually new. Virtual worlds have been around for decades—MUDs paved the way back in the day, they just got rebranded when the term metaverse started trending. Looking at today's landscape, platforms like Roblox and VR Chat have already demonstrated what functional virtual ecosystems look like. The difference is stark when you compare them to some of the high-profile metaverse launches that promised a lot but delivered platforms plagued by poor user experience and, frankly, a pretty toxic community environment. The technology and social infrastructure matter as much as the hype.