Students at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles are taking a brand-new course this year: Law in the Metaverse!
The course looks at everything from cryptocurrency to smart contracts and how real-life rules will work in the virtual world.
While you’ve heard of the metaverse, you’re probably still wondering what it is.
“This will completely redefine education, business, shopping, and so much more,” started Steve Grubbs, CEO & Co-founder of VictoryXR.
It’s an immersive virtual world, commonly accessed through a headset and “it’s synchronous, meaning you’re in there with other people at the same time,” explained Grubbs.
The prospect of this new reality presents challenges for the law.
“This is forcing the evolution of the practice of law,” said Charles Lew, an entrepreneur, lawyer and now a professor at Loyola Law School teaching a course about the intersection of the metaverse and law. He also happens to be the mind behind the popular eatery Stout Burgers And Beers and the Boomtown Brewery in Los Angeles.
“What laws will cross over and conversely what laws will not cross over and what laws will go back and forth, said Lew.
“It’s a class that kind of fuels a lot of debates and ideas among our classmates. But I think so far, we’ve just learned to keep an open mind,” said student Alyssa Castro.
“We need to make sure that we’re teaching our students to not just comprehend what the law has been but also where it’s going,” said Loyola Law School Dean Michael Waterstone.
During our visit, students were debating how assault laws might apply to the metaverse.
They were also stepping into their own campus recreated by VictoryXR, a startup that specializes in education in the metaverse.
“The reality is that the Fortnite generation is showing up to college and they have greater expectations for an immersive world than previous generations,” said Grubbs, of VictoryXR.
While this class is still taught in person, the topics are technically out of this world and into the virtual one.
“The people that are saying ‘I’m going to ride this one out,’ tere will be no riding this one out. You cannot stick your head in your sand, you cannot ignore it, it is here, it is coming, it will only be more of an influence on every aspect of your life,” concluded Lew.
