Summary

Protoworld is a Web3 3D social platform. It empowers artists to create their own 3D social posts with NFTs on both mobile devices and the web. Additionally, it enables the creation of large virtual galleries and social spaces on the web browser.

Link: https://protoworld.io

Journey

Inspiration

The rise of social platforms has facilitated cross-border communication, which I believe is a significantly positive development in Internet history. However, fake news, censorship, and platform monopolization are major contemporary social issues and even exacerbated in the AI era.

As a creator, I have been deeply interested in digital democracy and the movement of platform cooperativism. I believe a web-based community platform, grounded in human citizens and democratic governance, can foster a transnational society.

Post-2015, blockchain technology advancements like DAO, Proof-of-Personhood, and Zero-Knowledge concepts have expanded collaborative possibilities in online communities. Initiatives like Balaji Srinivasan's Network State and the Worldcoin project have guided discussions on these possibilities.

On the other hand, my team and I have been experimenting with the potential of 3D environments beyond gaming since 2019, which we believe is a new medium for establishing communication and building communities.

By combining blockchain and 3D environment, we aimed to challenge the norm by creating a social platform with a 3D interface and a blockchain-based economic and governance system.

2022 - Web-based MVP

The Protoworld project formally began in early 2022. As a Minimum Viable Product, we initially targeted the Tezos blockchain ecosystem, known for its rich creative atmosphere, and launched a proof-of-concept version on the web. We integrated NFTs, wallet authentication, front-end web development, and the initial space-building system in three months, gradually adding voice chat and music playback.

In UX design, we developed an intermediate space-building system between Minecraft and 3D software – Archi. It allowed users to freely create within a short learning curve using limited preset modules, balancing visual expression and avoiding overwhelming freedom that could affect performance and experience.

We supported users in building their galleries using images, videos, music, and 3D NFTs, emphasizing the integration, optimization, and application of 3D NFTs for more expressive freedom in Archi-created spaces.

Protoworld aimed to create a sustainable economy for a community owned platformOne of the many UX Flow diagram we've created along the disscussions.

2023 - Mobile Social Platform

From the project's inception, we recognized the importance of a mobile version for convenient, quick social connections. Protoworld's mobile app isn't merely a port of the web version but reimagined as a mobile social platform.

Many Metaverse/3D social products are derived from MMO games, emphasizing real-time multiplayer and open-world experiences, often resulting in large but empty virtual spaces. Also, complex performance requirements limit them to PC platforms.

In contrast, we focused on a 3D TikTok concept, allowing users to swipe swiftly through different 3D spaces. We also adopted a 3D avatar messaging mechanism, enabling rich social interactions without requiring simultaneous online presence.

Our Users & Community

We've attracted 2000 users worldwide, with the largest user base in South America. Several artist groups and communities have used our web tools to create exhibition spaces, and 500 mobile users have created diverse 3D Feed posts.

Reflection and Outlook

Protoworld was my first foray into leading digital product development. Looking back, I believe Protoworld achieved commendable results with a small team and resources, showing significant innovation in user experience. More importantly, my team and I gained comprehensive experience in product development and operation.

Regrettably, we spent considerable time learning technologies and developing features, neglecting community operations and governance. Additionally, balancing artistic tool development, social platform experimentation, and commercial viability without focusing on a key breakthrough direction was challenging.

Protoworld is in hibernation, but I look forward to continuing to pursue related ideals in future projects.

Technical Overview

Protoworld's core architecture is a DApp. We used mature tools like Unity, React, Flutter, Firebase to accelerate MVP development, interacting with public blockchain API services for blockchain-related information.

Besides Unity, we focused on

Tech Stack

Frontend: React, NextJS, Typescript

Mobile: Flutter, Dart

3D: Unity Engine

Backend: Firestore, GCP Functions & Cloud Run, Typesense, Azure Playfab

System architecture overview

Contributions

In the Protoworld project, I served as the initiator and leader, responsible for front-end, back-end, and mobile development. I collaborated with Hanyu on UX and UI development and worked with Yu-Jie and Gim Cheng on parts of the Unity development.

Team

• Founder & CEO: Yi Kuo
• Co-Founders: Yu-Jie Huang, Han-Yu Feng
• UX/UI: Han-Yu Feng, Yi Kuo
• Unity Dev: Yu-Jie Huang, Gim Cheng
• Frontend/Mobile Dev: Yi Kuo
• Backend Dev: Yi Kuo, Yu-Jie Huang