We’ve teased some big guests for a while and finally, it’s time. This week, John and I speak with the Metaverse Lead at Polygon, Brian Trunzo.

Token Gamer and NFT Insider have decided to combine forces to launch a weekly podcast, Mint One (formerly WAX Lyrical). John Nichols of NFT Insider and I will discuss a new topic every week, as well as feature special guests. If there’s a topic you’d like us to cover, make sure you let us know through the Token Gamer Discord or Twitter, or the NFT Insider Discord or Twitter.

In last week’s episode, John and I discussed the unexpected influx of luxury brands into Web3. This week, we draft in one of the key people in the formation of the metaverse to discuss just about everything.

Episode 34: Interview with Brian Trunzo, Polygon’s Metaverse Lead

When we knew Brian was going to come on the podcast, I opened a document to start jotting down questions and thoughts. The first one, which I didn’t ask, is how the hell your boss sets KPIs for a job role in which the title is 50% undefined. Nevertheless, we need people leading the charge and Brian is well-suited.

The first question we ask Brian is one he’s undoubtedly had often in his time at Polygon, and it’s on that very notion of the world’s tenuous grip on the term “metaverse”. While it’s difficult to narrow down, we have no choice but to press on and built it. A recent analogy I heard was with the early internet and “cyberspace”. If you were Cyberspace Lead at Google in the late 90s, you would have likely experienced similar confusion over your role, but there were without question people pushing for what the internet could be.

There was an innocuous comment by Brian, while attempting to unpack his multifaceted role at Polygon, where he mentioned that he works anywhere there is a “convergence of the physical with the digital.” This line burrowed into my mind immediately and has stayed put. I have often said that the metaverse (and blockchain technology) is aiding the next leap into the digital world from the physical. We have move so much of our work, socializing, and pleasure to digital, but a lack of technology held us back from areas such as ownership. Blockchain technology is what allows further convergence of the physical with the digital.

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