Spring 2022
INDENG 185 004 - SEM 004
Challenge Lab
Metaverses, NFTs and Creator Economies with Blockchain
Lukasz Kowalski, Michael Morris
Class #:30949
Units: 4
Instruction Mode:
In-Person Instruction
Offered through
Industrial Engineering and Operations Research
Current Enrollment
Total Open Seats:
1
Enrolled: 52
Waitlisted: 0
Capacity: 53
Waitlist Max: 30
No Reserved Seats
Hours & Workload
4 hours of student-instructor coverage of course materials per week, and 8 hours of outside work hours per week.
Other classes by Lukasz Kowalski
Other classes by Michael Morris
Course Catalog Description
This course is meant for students in engineering and other disciplines who seek a challenging, interactive, team-based, and hands-on learning experience in entrepreneurship and technology. In this highly experiential course, students work in simulated start-up teams to create products or start-up ideas to address a broadly-defined need of an industry partner or social challenge.
Class Description
Come learn why Mark Zuckerberg said “Our overarching goal across all of these initiatives is to help bring the metaverse to life.” The metaverses, NFTs and creator economies are all having a moment.
Join us as we explore how these various concepts intersect and build your own MVP solution with guidance from leaders in the space.
On the metaverse from the Verge article of Jul 22, 2021, “In January 2020, an influential essay by the venture capitalist Matthew Ball set out to identify key characteristics of a metaverse. Among them: it has to span the physical and virtual worlds; contain a fully fledged economy; and offer “unprecedented interoperability” — users have to be able to take their avatars and goods from one place in the metaverse to another, no matter who runs that particular part of it. Critically, no one company will run the metaverse — it will be an “embodied internet,” Zuckerberg said, operated by many different players in a decentralized way” which infers a blockchain.
As the NFT and creator economy space matures, we believe that creators, entrepreneurs, and developers are in need of a well-defined and organized curriculum to prepare them for the future of Metaverses. Hence, the development of UC Berkeley’s course on Metaverses, NFTs & Creator Economies, will be hugely beneficial to the upcoming generation of creators, innovators, and builders. The course will cover the growing relevance of NFTs and creator economies using a hands-on “Challenge Lab” approach, developed by the Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology.
Further Background - It is safe to say that 2021 is the year of the non-fungible token. The NFT market as a whole has seen tremendous growth in activity and value transacted in H1 2021. According to data by NonFungible, NFT sales volume has grown exponentially in 2021 leading to increased media coverage and public awareness.
While NFT sales volume has contracted since its peak in May, volume still remains consistently higher than prior years. Moreover, with the increase in mainstream media coverage, NFTs are here to stay despite the recent slow-down. The increasing relevance of the NFT economy presents a very lucrative long-term growth opportunity.
Creator economies have also seen rapid growth in recent years. The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic catalyzed digital entertainment as the world moved online. The growth of creator economies is evident with over 50 million people identifying as creators and the majority of these creators as amateurs. With this growth, consisting primarily of aspiring amateurs, we expect the expansion of the creator economy in the coming decades especially as creators find additional ways to sustainably diversify their revenue stream. To some extent, the growth of creator economies and NFTs are intertwined. NFTs provide a way for creators to increase their audience as well as diversify their revenue stream by selling NFTs to followers. And, finally, all these digital formats become integral in future Metaverses.
Application
This class requires an application for enrollment consideration. Students from all majors, both undergraduate and graduate, are welcome; no blockchain experience is needed. ~40% of seats are reserved for technical/engineering majors to ensure an adequate depth of CS skills are available to each team to fulfill the technical obligations of the team. All other majors are also encouraged to apply to meet the business and entrepreneurial obligations of the team. Team selection will be guided to ensure teams are multidisciplinary in nature. The goal is to build a course full of passionate students willing to push their boundaries and build an amazing startup. The application for Spring 2022 is now closed. Applications will be reviewed in batches and you will be notified when a decision has been made. If admitted, you will be given permission to enroll.
More Information: https://scet.berkeley.edu/students/courses/challenge-labs/metaverses-nfts-and-creator-economies-with-blockchain/
Join us as we explore how these various concepts intersect and build your own MVP solution with guidance from leaders in the space.
On the metaverse from the Verge article of Jul 22, 2021, “In January 2020, an influential essay by the venture capitalist Matthew Ball set out to identify key characteristics of a metaverse. Among them: it has to span the physical and virtual worlds; contain a fully fledged economy; and offer “unprecedented interoperability” — users have to be able to take their avatars and goods from one place in the metaverse to another, no matter who runs that particular part of it. Critically, no one company will run the metaverse — it will be an “embodied internet,” Zuckerberg said, operated by many different players in a decentralized way” which infers a blockchain.
As the NFT and creator economy space matures, we believe that creators, entrepreneurs, and developers are in need of a well-defined and organized curriculum to prepare them for the future of Metaverses. Hence, the development of UC Berkeley’s course on Metaverses, NFTs & Creator Economies, will be hugely beneficial to the upcoming generation of creators, innovators, and builders. The course will cover the growing relevance of NFTs and creator economies using a hands-on “Challenge Lab” approach, developed by the Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology.
Further Background - It is safe to say that 2021 is the year of the non-fungible token. The NFT market as a whole has seen tremendous growth in activity and value transacted in H1 2021. According to data by NonFungible, NFT sales volume has grown exponentially in 2021 leading to increased media coverage and public awareness.
While NFT sales volume has contracted since its peak in May, volume still remains consistently higher than prior years. Moreover, with the increase in mainstream media coverage, NFTs are here to stay despite the recent slow-down. The increasing relevance of the NFT economy presents a very lucrative long-term growth opportunity.
Creator economies have also seen rapid growth in recent years. The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic catalyzed digital entertainment as the world moved online. The growth of creator economies is evident with over 50 million people identifying as creators and the majority of these creators as amateurs. With this growth, consisting primarily of aspiring amateurs, we expect the expansion of the creator economy in the coming decades especially as creators find additional ways to sustainably diversify their revenue stream. To some extent, the growth of creator economies and NFTs are intertwined. NFTs provide a way for creators to increase their audience as well as diversify their revenue stream by selling NFTs to followers. And, finally, all these digital formats become integral in future Metaverses.
Application
This class requires an application for enrollment consideration. Students from all majors, both undergraduate and graduate, are welcome; no blockchain experience is needed. ~40% of seats are reserved for technical/engineering majors to ensure an adequate depth of CS skills are available to each team to fulfill the technical obligations of the team. All other majors are also encouraged to apply to meet the business and entrepreneurial obligations of the team. Team selection will be guided to ensure teams are multidisciplinary in nature. The goal is to build a course full of passionate students willing to push their boundaries and build an amazing startup. The application for Spring 2022 is now closed. Applications will be reviewed in batches and you will be notified when a decision has been made. If admitted, you will be given permission to enroll.
More Information: https://scet.berkeley.edu/students/courses/challenge-labs/metaverses-nfts-and-creator-economies-with-blockchain/
Class Notes
This course counts towards the SCET Certificate in Technology and Entrepreneurship. Additional information: https://scet.berkeley.edu/certificate-in-entrepreneurship-and-technology/. Questions about SCET course enrollment or certificate can be directed to lee.2293@berkeley.edu.
Rules & Requirements
Repeat Rules
Reserved Seats
Current Enrollment
No Reserved Seats
Textbooks & Materials
See class syllabus or https://calstudentstore.berkeley.edu/textbooks for the most current information.
Guide to Open, Free, & Affordable Course Materials
Associated Sections
None