Virtual Worlds and Video Games as Social Platforms
The use of video games and virtual worlds for other purposes than entertainment and reality escape has been on the rise over the past few years. They now serve as social platforms where individuals may interact, mingle, and even conduct business. This tendency is most clearly shown by platforms like Decentraland or Roblox, where users can create their own virtual settings, personalise their avatars, and communicate with other players.
The Importance of Avatars and Digital Clothes in Self-Expression
The main reason why realistic avatars and digital clothes are becoming so important in these immersive environments is that they give you the ability to express yourself in ways that may not be possible in the physical world. Many people believe that a key aspect of their identity is expressed in the clothes they wear and the way they present themselves in public. This is true in virtual environments as well, as your avatar and the clothes you wear can serve as representations of who you are and how you want to be seen by others.
Virtual worlds are transitioning to more social spaces and it’s becoming more important for users to have a unique and recognisable identity that sets them apart from other users.
In this environment, platforms like Droffo are thriving. Droffo and Union Avatars join forces to offer users a wide range of digital clothing and avatar representation so they can be whomever they want to be in the Metaverse and immersive spaces.
We had the chance to talk and ask some questions to Laurynas Jokubaitis, co-founder of the company to better understand their inspiration and goals:
Can you tell us more about your background and how you came up with the idea for Droffo.com?
After selling my previous company, I immediately started thinking about what to create next. Having the time to observe the world a little bit more, I noticed my sister playing Roblox non-stop and asked her to tell me more about her experience. She told me she spends time on Roblox to hang out with her friends and classmates. She used Roblox as a different social network where her avatar is the key element. Naturally, it was very important for her to make sure her avatar looked cool.
So the first insight was that games are becoming social networks. People are increasingly playing games to socialize and hang out. Therefore, looking cool is extremely important.
And then, our team had this other insight: big brands like Gucci want to reach the younger generation and sell items in-game. They have the power to partner with games. Individual creators do not. So we thought – what if we create a platform that opens up access for creators to many games? Basically, an opportunity to have one profile from which they can create, build their following & community, and sell skins to players of different games.
At the same time, given that looking cool is extremely important for gamers, we thought players would strive to differentiate and find something unique. What is a better way to uniquely dress your avatar than browsing creations from thousands of individual creators?
That’s how the idea was born.
Can you walk us through the process of creating and selling virtual clothing on your platform?
Well, first of all, as a creator, you get so many new opportunities – you can have one beautiful creator profile and list your items for different games. Also, we implemented some nice features like collections and favourites where creators can create boards from their and others’ digital items.
Now, for each game, we share a list of requirements with creators directly. After we check if the requirements are met, the creator can list her/his wearable for sale and promote it to the game players.
Today, this process works manually, but we’re working on a new update to automate it.
In the future, all creators will be able to list their items in minutes!
What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in developing Droffo.com, and how have you overcome them?
The biggest challenge so far is ensuring the quality of virtual clothes created by creators. Since each game has its own requirements, we have to be very clear with documentation and make sure it is understandable for creators.
We are trying to find the best way to achieve that at scale.
What advice would you give to creators looking to get started in creating virtual clothing for the first time?
Just try! I think there is a massive opportunity to create amazing virtual clothing brands that will be very important in the future. It’s a unique time in history when creative people all around the world suddenly have this totally new window of opportunity to create a name for themselves as virtual clothing designers. Young people care about how they look virtually as much as in real life. So, go ahead and give it a shot!
Another point that we noticed is the importance of your biggest fans. Building your own fanbase is very important. Creators who nourish their communities win in the long run.
Can you share any success stories of creators or virtual worlds/games that have benefited from using Droffo.com?
Sure! Our recent win is creating something that our users requested. Just a few weeks ago, one of the creators asked us to help her sell her items for the Hyperfy game. We created a marketplace so quickly, that nobody believed us! Before that, there were no options for her to monetize her work for Hyperfy.
We’re all about hearing what creators want and making it happen.
