While we often talk about how the Metaverse of Snowcrash influenced Second Life, ex-Linden Lab staffer John Lester (known then as Pathfinder Linden) points out that in the novel, the Metaverse didn't grow because you could have cool sword fights or ride motorcycles in it. Instead, notes Pathfinder, it was something seemingly more prosaic:
What made the Metaverse in Snow Crash insanely successful was technology that could read Real Life facial expressions and body language. Then the information was instantaneously and realistically reflected on avatars. Where other people could see and understand.
Trouble is, too many developers are not focused on this aspect of the Metaverse, and by extension, nor are they on that aspect of Second Life. Rather:
In my experience, most programmers and developers of virtual worlds tend to ignore “soft” scientific concepts like empathy, emotions and the squishy human nuances of interpersonal communication. They primarily want to build tools that allow people to create and exchange things.
Instead, he points to Microsoft's Kinetc project (formerly known as Natal) and the work of Anton Bogdanovych (who I wrote about here, video embedded below) as pointing the way to the future.
I agree with my pal John that people and how they interact virtually is way more important than what they do with their stuff. So keep following the path of Pathfinder's thinking here.