Jim Rutt defines the "metaverse" as a complex, evolving digital ecosystem where immersive virtual worlds seamlessly integrate with physical reality through advanced technologies like virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and blockchain. This interconnected space grants users the ability to interact, socialize, work, and play within richly detailed, persistent environments. In Rutt's view, the metaverse serves as a transformative platform for human experience, merging digital and physical realms into a new paradigm of interconnected presence. It leverages decentralized systems and digital economies, enabling users to create, own, and trade assets and experiences in a secure, user-centric manner. Essentially, the metaverse, as Rutt sees it, encapsulates the future of digital interaction, potentially reshaping societal norms and economic structures through its innovative blend of reality and virtuality.

See also: emergence, evolution, crypto, game b, integrated information theory