Photo courtesy: @lmichellexyz on Instagram
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University announced recently that it will be virtually breaking new ground by unveiling the “Rattlerverse”, the first official Metaverse for an HBCU within Meta Horizon Worlds.
According to @famu_1887 on Instagram, the post described the Rattlerverse as “Crafted with detail, this immersive virtual world offers a futuristic opportunity to explore FAMU’s campus, culture, and current events.”
This project was done in partnership with FAMU Alumna L. Michelle Salvant. Salvant is a proud graduate of the School of Journalism & Graphic Communication.
She was first introduced to virtual reality in 2016 at TalTech. From there, Covalent, which is a local company local VR company, changed her point of view.
“When I put on that headset and watched the whole world around me change into a new world, a fully immersive world, I said, ‘It’s game over!’ Game over for anything I had experienced before that. VR was a revolution in my point of view,” Salvant shared.
When creating the Rattlerverse, Salvant wanted to showcase the culture, excellence, and “pure essence” of FAMU.
“Our incredible World Building partners, Jeremy and Shika Duncan from Onyx Leaf Media, custom crafted the space using 3,000 intricate pieces and shapes. The Rattlerverse includes a mix of many signature places located on FAMU’s actual campus as well as the cultural, soulful heart of the University that makes FAMU a one-of-a-kind place to be,” Salvant said. “I just love it there. If you’ve never been to FAMU, you will feel all the vibes once you visit there.”
Regarding students interested in applying or alums getting to relive and experience places on campus virtually, Salvant said that this immersive innovation is simply an extension of FAMU’s brand.
“This type of thinking makes you want to be a part of FAMU, and for alumni like me, it’s a reminder of why we love FAMU so much. We are constantly moving the school we know and love Forward.”
Salvant emphasized the beauty, love, spirit, and excellence of FAMU and this journey, stating that “it’s always a beautiful day in the Rattlerverse. This is the future, and the future is now.” Salvant said.
Kaia Richards, a junior Cardiopulmonary Science major shared her excitement about the Rattlerverse.
“I feel like this is an innovative way to have people uniquely engage with FAMU,” said Richards. “Just looking at the video that was posted about this on Instagram, there’s a lot of everything for people to do in the Rattlerverse.”
Richards hopes that there’s an opportunity for current students at FAMU to experience the school virtually since not many people have the devices to enjoy it.
“I think it would be cool for students to have the opportunity to experience this project at an event or something like that on campus,” Richards said. “I don’t have a VR device to experience it for myself, which might be the same for others.”
To experience the Rattlerverse, you can access it through Meta Quest 2, Quest 3, and Quest Pro sets.