What is novel about the Metaverse?

The Metaverse is not a radical departure. It is an incremental evolution. Previous virtual worlds, like Second Life, have laid the groundwork for the development of the Metaverse by providing valuable insights into virtual environments and social interactions. Studies of these earlier platforms contribute to a more nuanced under-standing of what the Metaverse is, and what it is not. Based on studies of virtual worlds and by applying inductive processes of reflection and abstraction, we propose a framework that supports the identification of attributes that help differentiate the Metaverse from previous virtual worlds from a user experience perspective. We demon-strate the value of the framework by comparing the Metaverse to Second Life. Our framework and comparative analysis ground the current discussions about the Metaverse deeper in the established discourse on virtual worlds. They also shed light on the potential impact of the Metaverse, the special role of its immersiveness and help us to identify lessons learned that can inform the Metaverse's further development.

Automated summary

The Metaverse is not a radical departure, but rather an incremental evolution influenced by previous virtual worlds such as Second Life. By studying these earlier platforms, a framework has been proposed to differentiate the Metaverse from previous virtual worlds based on user experience. Comparing the Metaverse to Second Life demonstrates the value of this framework and deepens the current discourse on virtual worlds. The framework also sheds light on the potential impact of the Metaverse and helps identify lessons learned for its further development.