A Content Analysis of the Metaverse Articles

Journal of Metaverse Research Article Received: 2021-11-22 | Reviewing: 2021-11-22 & 2021-12-27 | Accepted: 2021-12-27 | Online: 2021-12-27 | Issue Date: 2021-12-31 Year: 2021, Volume: 1, Issue:1, Pages:17-24 A Content Analysis of the Metaverse Articles Nida Gökçe Narin Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University Department of Statistics Muğla, Turkey [email protected] 0000-0002-4840-5408 Abstract— Metaverse, which was first defined as fictional talking about the future metaverses, it is also necessary to about 20 years ago, refers to a virtual universe where people feel examine the academic studies on the metaverse in the last 20 entirely mentally with engaged augmented virtual reality years. For this purpose, academic journal articles containing devices today. The first applications of metaverse were the keyword metaverse in the Web of Science (WoS) were computer games consisting of virtual worlds. Gaming examined in terms of scope and method in this survey. companies were racing to offer more unique experiences to their Proceedings, books, and other works are ignored. In the search users. With social media giants and big technology companies carried out in all fields, 48 journal articles containing announcing the metaverse as the future of the internet, it started metaverse keywords were found. When these articles were to attract the attention of the wider masses. The concept of examined in terms of method and scope, it was determined metaverse has been the subject of academic studies in many different fields, from literature to art, from music to education that 40 of them were suitable for the study. The aim of this over the years. In this review article, a total of 40 journal articles study is to provide a projection to the researchers by making a containing the "metaverse" keyword in all fields in the Web of detailed analysis of the articles. Science database were examined in terms of content and The following section introduces the research method and method. The outputs of this study provide a piece of brief contains general information about the publication years of the information about the research area to both researchers and articles, within the scope of the research, the journals in which technology developers. they were published, and the research areas. Section 3 briefly Keywords—metaverse, content analysis, second life, virtual introduces the selected papers in chronological order from the worlds past to the present in terms of scope and method. Section 4, where discussion and findings are given, classifies the articles I. INTRODUCTION as content. Section 5 ends with a discussion of the implications, main limitations, and contributions for The metaverse, first described in author Neal Stephenson's researchers who will work in this field. novel "Snow Crash" published in 1992, has become a concept used to describe 3D (three-dimensional), VWs (virtual II. METHOD worlds) in which people interact with each other and their environment without the physical limitations of the real world. A. Google Trend The first metaverse was CitySpace [1], which was active from After Marc Zuckerberg's press release, the increased 1993-1996. Subsequently, numerous metaverses such as interest in the metaverse is seen in Google Trend data [4]. In Active Worlds [2] and There (www.there.com) emerged. The Fig. 1, the graph of the weekly values of YouTube and Google most popular of these was Second Life (SL, searches in the last year is given. In October 2021, there was www.secondlife.com), developed by Linden Lab in 2003. a significant increase in metaverse searches on both YouTube With SL, the doors of the web-based VWs were opened to and Google. Furthermore, it is observed that there was a jump game enthusiasts. SL promised its users a second world where in YouTube searches in April as well. they can create their own avatars and determine all features of them, the limits of which depend only on one's imagination. In this world, a person could socialize, buy real estate, design, and even realize all kinds of fiction, up to university education. SL created its own economy, even had the Linden Dollar currency. Moreover, the Swedish government opened an embassy in SL, where many cities, universities, artists, and individuals created virtual assets. In the game world, the examples of metaverses such as Roblox (www.roblox.com), Sandbox (www.sandbox.game), Fortnite (epicgames.com/fortnite) are increasing day by day. However, with the press release of Marc Zuckerberg in which he announced that he changed the company name to Meta, wider audiences began to explore what the metaverse is [3]. As of October 2021, according to google trend reports, there Fig. 1. The number of Metaverse searches performed on Youtube has been a severe increase of searches on Metaverse in the and Google in the last year with Google trend [4]. google search engine. Considering the importance of social media, especially for the Z generation, investments in the metaverse are shaping the technology of the future. While 17  Journal of Metaverse Narin N.G. Fig. 2. The number of publications by years Fig. 4. The number of publications by Research Areas Fig. 3. The number of publications by Web of Science categories B. Web of Science Analysis In this study, publications containing the keyword Fig. 5. The word cloud of metaverse-related keywords "metaverse" in all fields in the journals in the WoS database D. Research Questions and scanned in the SCI-Expanded, SSCI, A&HCI, ESCI index were examined [5]. The data were collected on 28.11.2021. This study focuses on the contents of the articles and The distribution of 40 articles determined to be suitable for the presents a detailed review in terms of scope and method. It purpose and scope of the study by journals was determined as focuses on the following research questions: SSCI (33%), SCI-Expanded (31%), ESCI (25%) and A&HCI  What is the content of the articles published in the (11%). metaverse? The distribution of the number of articles by year is given  What are the application examples in the metaverse? in Fig 2. After the publication of the first academic article in 2005, it is seen that the number of publications, which has  What are the methods used in metaverse studies? fluctuated over the years, has increased in recent years. III. FOCUS ON THE ARTICLES The articles are classified into 33 different categories given in Fig 3 in the WoS database. Some articles are included This section briefly introduces the selected papers in more than one category. The most published categories are chronologically from the past to the present in scope and Educational Research and Engineering Electrical Electronic method. classes. The number of publications according to the research The first article on metaverse in the literature was areas is given in Fig. 4. According to the study's design, it is published by Jaynes et al. [6]. The study discusses the seen that the publications covering more than one research problems in the design and application of the metaverse. area are mainly in the field of computer science and Papagiannidis et al. [7] examined the social, political, engineering. economic, and ethical implications of online games in which C. Keywords large numbers of players from all around the world interact with avatars created by using either their existing identities in The word cloud given in Figure 5 was created from the the physical world or virtual identities with no connection to keywords defined by the authors in the articles. The sizes of their identities. Kumar et al. [8] examined the virtual world in the words were determined according to the frequency of their two classes: online games and the metaverse. They defined the occurrence in the keyword list. A total of 190 different basic features of the VWs as multimodal input, heterogeneous keywords were used. Words such as virtual worlds, second clients, server scalability, network constraints, object life, AR (augmented reality), avatar, 3D, VR (virtual reality) encodings, physics engine, security, privacy, and fairness [8]. are the keywords most associated with the metaverse. Davis et al. [9] explained virtual collaboration and teamwork in detail to understand the opportunities and risks found in metaverse environments. They developed a conceptual model of five constructs: 18  Journal of Metaverse Narin N.G.  The metaverse itself sociology and psychology of religion. The study showed  Humans/avatars in the metaverse that, based on a six-month "virtual" ethno-semiotic  Technology capabilities in the metaverse participatory observation, digital places of worship  The behavior of avatars in the metaverse revealed five main characteristics: isolation,  The outputs of the metaverse prototypicality, didacticity, anarchy, and parasitism [17]. They also explored how the concepts of Arroyo et al. [18] explored the possibilities of using communication, creation, interaction, and team process meta bots with mobility capabilities in complex VWs. could expand the metaverse [9]. Bourlakis et al. [10] They also built a learning model based on techniques used examined the effects of product and service marketing in evolutionary computing to optimize fuzzy controllers and specifically retailing in the online VW where to be used by meta bots to move around in a virtual individuals and organizations operate. They presented a environment [18]. Cameron [19] examined the concept of comparative study of traditional store retailing, e- philosophers' islands as a literary and philosophical retailing, and metaverse retailing. They drew attention to metaphor. The author argues that "utopic" islands provide many essential questions, such as: Which criteria do retail a fictional field of experimentation to form "real" state in the virtual world? Which regulatory agency will spaces. In the study, he examined the concepts of Utopia, oversee product pricing? Whether virtual currencies used Endotopia, and Xenotopia in detail from a similar in metaverse retailing be converted to real currency? Tasa perspective. Dionisio et al. [20] examined the issues and Görgülü [11] explained what meta-art is and required to move from a set of independent virtual worlds discussed whether the metaverse will be a new art to an integrated network of virtual worlds, or the medium in the future. They stated that the collective and metaverse, that creates an alternative space for human connecting nature of the Internet could be used to connect sociocultural interaction. In particular, they drew avatars and create a space attached to other levels of attention to (1) realism, (2) ubiquity, (3) interoperability, reality. As a result, they argued that for art to be local in and (4) scalability, which are considered central the metaverse with its form, content, and creative process, components of a valid metaverse [20]. art must be context dependent [11]. Brennen and Dela Crespo et al. [21] analyzed educational virtual Cerna [12] examined the effects of journalism in a virtual environment applications and the dissemination of environment and how the relationship between real life knowledge in the form of free courses in the metaverse. and SL influences and shapes news content. In addition, They performed a simulation that checked the properties the Alphaville Herald, Metaverse Messenger, and SL of objects created in the metaverse with GNU tools. In newspapers developed in VR were evaluated, and some particular, they showed the importance of implementing implications were made for future journalism OpenSim in some engineering fields. They also used the applications. Ayiter [13] analyzed 'alpha.tribe', an ARIMA model to estimate server load due to access by experimental avatar group establishing a virtual fashion students who might want to take online courses and business in SL. In the research, the author, a designer, and showed that the model produced acceptable results [21]. an art educator brought together five avatars of both Hassouneh and Brengman [22] examined 27 virtual stores human and non-human genders in a design initiative to in SL and proposed a virtual store typology based on create a design that follows the creation line of each atmospheric classifications. In addition, the study virtual personality [13]. provides a framework for investigating the shopper Han et al. [14] created a 3D user interface for the home behavior in the virtual store environment and the factors automation system in VR. They explained the necessary affecting the performance of metaverse retailers [22]. protocols for the relationships between the metaverse Villalba [23] studied SL as an example of cultural client, metaverse server, and home server. They showed interaction through virtual worlds and explored the that home devices could be monitored and controlled over reasons for declining interest in SL. He first examined the the internet from anywhere and anytime via this interface technology factor but came to the conclusion that it was [14]. Owens et al. [15] examined how metaverse not very decisive. The author concluded that the inability technology capabilities interact with the social and to classify SL as just a game or social media reduces users' technical aspects of virtual teams, how metaverse interest, and they turn to more real platforms where users capabilities differ from other collaboration technologies, can interact with their acquaintances. In the article, and how these capabilities affect virtual projects. Lee et reasons such as the embodiment of the flaws and al. [16] studied the innovative and reflective effects of problems of real society in the utopic elements produced metaverse services used to express services such as life in SL, the lack of story, the difficulty in finding others, logging, mirror world, AR, and VWs. To measure the and the lack of eroticism were cited as causing the acceptability of Twitter, Google, iPhone, and SL alienation of users. However, it was predicted that these products, IP traffic, and iPhone sales volume data of problems would be resolved soon, and the way of user "twitter.com," "maps.google.com," "secondlife.com" interaction in SL could be reorganized [23]. addresses from the first quarter of 2008 to the last quarter Romero et al. [24] highlighted the arts and examined of 2009 were collected. They modeled the data with the how SL could pave the way for the creative process in Bass model based on time series. They showed that each many areas. The article showed that in SL, an artist could service gives different innovation and reflection act as a curator, theorist, critic, collector, producer, and coefficient values and that the reflection effects are higher art publisher as he is in reality. Vaca Barahona et al. [25] than the innovation effects for all metaverse services [16]. examined students' communication, interaction, and Leone [17] examined the relations between the religious collaboration in virtual learning environments where 3D dimensions of the first life and the second life in terms of simulations were integrated. The article discussed the 19  Journal of Metaverse Narin N.G. interaction between the participant and the 3D object and world in the sense that Marc Augé describes them as the interaction that develops among the participants as an transition loci assigned only to limited and specific interaction that encourages students to learn. Martín [26] locations? [33]". Díaz [34] discussed virtual worlds in examined whether personal interaction through virtual higher education and innovations in the teaching-learning environments enhances collective creativity. The article process in the metaverse. In the study, a virtual world was discussed the metaverse environment effects, in which a developed as a digital tool to provide teaching support to different symbolic connection is formed among the Cundinamarca University System Engineering Faculty participants, on creativity, with an Avatar Orchestra students and teachers. The study, which aims to facilitate example. It has been determined that environments and make the access of students and teachers to where participants do not have face-to-face contact and information inside and outside the classroom flexible, where there are no barriers such as age, ethnicity, and explains the integration of developing technology with geographical diversity in the physical world are suitable hybrid and mobile learning models. Diaz et al. [35] dealt environments that encourage collective creativity [26]. with the design, development, and implementation of a Pinchuk et al. [27] examined the problems of synthetic virtual or metaverse world in an educational environment learning environments in the metaverse. The article within the scope of Scrum methodology. In addition, analyzed new learning environments based on access to synchronous and asynchronous information information and communication technologies. In provides an alternative way of transmitting and acquiring addition, they discussed game-based learning based on knowledge through technological tools. Designed to the simulation of the actual physical world and the resemble a real university for Systems Engineering combined use of social networks with a "synthetic Faculty students, the metaverse considers hybrid and environment" [27]. Choi and Kim [28] presented a virtual mobile learning models that change with the inverted and museum experience by connecting a pointer placed in an collaborative classroom. Murray [36] positioned VR as a actual space exhibition hall to an HMD (head-mounted medium that evolves media traditions to support display). Metaverse, which is a combination of AR and continuous interaction and immersion, rather than VWs, diversified the user experience about the features thinking of virtual reality as a magic technology. He and stories of the works in the museum with the content introduced VR not as an inevitable and misleading of the exhibition. metaverse but as a representational environment that always requires active belief creation. Ayiter [29] discussed the transformation of a small 3D artwork created in the meta-universe inspired by Jorge George Reyes [37] analyzed the perceptions of upper- Luis Borges' story Aleph. The author philosophically middle-level students at a private educational institution redefined Aleph as a time machine for avatars. Jaramillo- in Mexico regarding the development of teaching Mujica et al. [30], in their articles on education in strategies using augmented reality based on the metaverse Metaverse, presented the idea of designing and applying mobile application. One hundred ninety-two first-term education in the 3D environment to Physics Engineering students attending the Mathematics Fundamentals course students. The study explains the development, participated in the research in the period of August- conceptualization, and implementation stages of December 2018. The research was carried out using a scenarios on the OpenSim platform, which is expressed digital questionnaire. The results showed that the with a virtual classroom in Moodle. Nevelsteen [31] application of augmented reality in mathematics teaching described a "virtual world" that uses grounded theory to significantly increased student performance. Estudante be applied directly to technology. The resulting definition and Dietrich [38] developed a mobile AR application to was compared with related studies and used to classify use escape games in education. In the study, a scenario advanced technologies such as persistent video game, was proposed that directs students to follow the footsteps MANet, virtual and mixed reality, and metaverse. As a of Belgian Physicist Ernest Solvay to improve students' result, the study includes a breakdown of the features that motivation and communication skills. According to this distinguish the various technologies from each other. It scenario, participants discover a secret room in Brussels also presents an ontology showing the relationship that contains Solvay's secrets through riddles. AR escape between complementary terms and abbreviations [31]. games can be easily applied to crowded classrooms Zhou et al. [32] discussed virtual world ownership and without any teacher and without any systematic income generation in the virtual world. They examined preparation. The advantages and limitations of such tools the concept of ownership in the metaverse under two are discussed in the study. It has been shown that the headings: content ownership and virtual platform proposed approach is effective in increasing motivation in ownership. The study collected data from real court case the trials in which the students participated. files, discussion boards, expert comments, interviews, news, and blogs. The findings suggest that the intrinsic Jun [39] studied religious activities in the metaverse. interdependencies of content and platform ownership With the development of augmented reality and virtual need to be addressed separately as they pose significant reality technologies, virtual reality churches began to be challenges for entrepreneurs. created to fulfill the missions and duties of churches in the virtual world. Although virtual reality churches have new Ayiter [33] discussed the following questions linking mission boundaries in the digital age, the article addresses Marc Augé's concepts of 'place/non-place' and Gaston theological issues from the perspective of traditional Bachelard's 'poetic space' to the avatar of real-time, church ministry and mission. Siyaev and Jo [40] continuous, online, three-dimensional virtual worlds as introduced a metaverse environment for Boeing-737 metaverses: "Are metaverses 'places' or 'non-places'? Do aircraft maintenance training and education, including we really live in the metaverse, or do we go through this legacy manuals, 3D models, 3D simulators, and aircraft 20  Journal of Metaverse Narin N.G. maintenance information. It uses Neuro-Symbolic Speech IV. DISCUSSION AND FINDINGS Executor (NSSE), which is different from traditional This review article is designed to provide a projection speech recognition methods, as a speech comprehension for researchers who want to do academic studies in the module. NSSE uses Neuro-Symbolic AI, which combines metaverse field. Metaverse is used synonymously with neural networks and conventional symbolic reasoning to VWs or SL in many studies. However, this study only understand users' requests and respond based on context includes journal articles filtered by the keyword and aircraft-specific information. Synthetic data were "metaverse" in the WoS database. Some of the studies used for training the model. The model's performance was defined the basic concepts and features of VWs, and some realized with automatic speech recognition metrics on the discussed the metaverse's sociological and philosophical data of real users. As a result, it has been shown that the effects. In addition, applications based on 3D, AR, VR, model can generalize with an average accuracy of 94.7% and mixed reality have also been developed in different and a word error rate (WER) of 7.5%. [40]. work areas over the last 20 years. The articles were Siyaev and Jo [41] discussed Boeing 737 maintenance examined in terms of method and content, and the training by using digital twin and mixed reality findings were discussed in this section. technologies in the metaverse. A realistic training A. Focus on Methods environment is suggested for trainee engineers in the study. This environment allows controlling planes by The articles were examined in terms of methodology maintaining social distance through virtual assets and except those published to introduce conceptual structures voice commands, especially during the pandemic. In the and technologies and explore sociological, philosophical, study, a convolutional neural network (CNN) was used and cultural aspects. The methods used, especially in for voice recognition. Command recognition and education and engineering, are given in Figure 6 in the language recognition performance of the CNN model form of a tree graph. trained for English and Korean languages were found to In these studies, together with 3D, AR , VR be 95.7% and 99.6%, respectively, according to the F1- technologies, GNU[21], OpenSim [21,30], Moodle [30], Score metric [41]. Park et al. [42] investigated the Minitab 18 [37], Microsoft Excel Pro 365 ProPlus [37] differences in learning motivation among different types and Neuro-Sembolic Speech Executor [40] tools have of players. The study was conducted on 91 university been used. students who were instructed to attend a classroom using gamification. In the study, it is stated that creating environments where all kinds of players can create their own game experiences, rules and strategies is an important factor in gamification design. As a result of the research, it was determined that gamification is effective on motivation, but there is no significant difference in motivation between player types [42]. Bolger's [43] work focused on the evolutionary integration described by Teilhard/Delio while guided by Bevans' five (early) contextualization models. The contextual integration method provides ways to see, embrace, communicate, complicate and create in the metaverse. The author explored the nature of the metaverse in the first half of the article. He discussed these insights in the second half, after collecting insights from the dialogue between contextual theology and culture in the first half [43]. Park et al. [44] focused on identifying the factors that can affect the user's social perception (likeness, familiarity, attractiveness, liking, and participation) of personalized virtual avatars designed by considering the user's facial features. In this study, the researchers showed that the avatars with familiar facial expressions of the participants looked more like the participants and gave a more familiar feeling than the others. The study of Heo et al. [45] proposed a new AR- Fig. 6. Methods used in the studies based system for traditional sport climbing training. With this method, where an instructor shows the positions of While different learning methods are used in the hands and feet one by one, the climbing movements metaverse research in education, it is seen that other and stances of a novice athlete are spontaneously artificial intelligence (AI) based methods are mostly used. demonstrated to the student with a character animation on While studies focused on design at first, in parallel with an artificial climbing structure. In addition, in this system, technological developments, it turned to developing new the student can choose the route he wants to learn and can methods to provide users with realistic experiences in the study many times without the help of the instructor. virtual world. In this sense, more personal data and the Research results showed that AR support for climbing is preferences and tastes of users have begun to come to the as effective as the traditional teaching method [45]. fore. The prominence of AI methods, especially in studies 21  Journal of Metaverse Narin N.G. conducted in recent years, gives an important clue for the Classification of Articles on Metaverse future of metaverse studies. Combining AR, VR ID Titles Years technologies with AI is predicted to improve the quality Education of personalized applications in VWs. [31] Social and psychological impact of musical collective creative processes in virtual environments; The Avatar 2018 TABLE I. CLASSIFICATION OF ARTICLES ON METAVERSE Orchestra Metaverse in Second Life [33] A content service deployment plan for metaverse Classification of Articles on Metaverse museum exhibitions—Centering on the combination 2017 ID Titles Years of beacons and HMDs Education [34] Building a (virtual) aleph: the visual transformation of 2017 [26] Use of ARIMA mathematical analysis to model the a tiny cosmogony implementation of expert system courses by means of [38] Spatial poetics, place, non-place and storyworlds: free software OpenSim and Sloodle platforms in 2013 2019 Intimate spaces for metaverse avatars. virtual university campuses Game [30] The communication in simulated learning 2016 [12] Making real money in virtual worlds: MMORPGs and environments emerging business opportunities, challenges and 2008 [32] Synthetic educational environment-a footpace to new 2017 ethical implications in metaverses education. [13] Second life and the new generation of virtual worlds 2008 [35] An experience using metaverses for teaching 2017 [43] Using augmented reality to stimulate students and mechanical physics to engineering students 2020 [39] Virtual world as a complement to hybrid and mobile diffuse escape game activities to larger audiences 2020 [47] Differences in Learning Motivation among Bartle’s learning [40] Player Types and Measures for the Delivery of 2021 Virtual World as a Resource for Hybrid Education 2020 Sustainable Gameful Experiences [42] Perception of high school students about Religion using Metaverse in augmented reality learning 2020 experiences in mathematics [22] The semiotics of religious space in Second Life 2011 [43] Using augmented reality to stimulate students and 2020 [44] Virtual reality church as a new mission frontier in the 2020 diffuse escape game activities to larger audiences metaverse: Exploring theological controversies and [45] Neuro-Symbolic Speech Understanding in Aircraft missional potential of virtual reality church 2021 Maintenance Metaverse [48] Finding Wholes in the Metaverse: Posthuman Mystics 2021 [46] Aircraft Maintenance Metaverse Using Speech as Agents of Evolutionary Contextualization 2021 Interactions with Virtual Objects in Mixed Reality Cultural Simulation [47] Differences in Learning Motivation among Bartle’s [28] Cultural simulation through virtual worlds. The case of 2015 Player Types and Measures for the Delivery of 2021 Second Life: an approach to the representation, Sustainable Gameful Experiences narrative and rhetorical potential in the new media cultures [50] Effect of Augmented Reality Affordance on Motor [49] Individual’s Social Perception of Virtual Avatars 2021 2021 Performance: In the Sport Climbing. Embodied with Their Habitual Facial Expressions and Definition and Properties Facial Appearance [11] Rapidly deployable multiprojector immersive Retailing / Virtual Merchandising displays 2005 [15] Retail spatial evolution: paving the way from 2009 [14] Avatars, people, and virtual worlds: Foundations for 2009 traditional to metaverse retailing. Electronic research in metaverses Commerce Research [20] [27] Retailing in social virtual worlds: developing a 2015 An empirical investigation of virtual world projects 2011 typology of virtual store atmospherics. and metaverse technology capabilities [21] Innovation and imitation effects in Metaverse service 2011 Misc adoption [17] Journalism in Second Life 2010 [23] Adaptive fuzzy knowledge‐based systems for control 2011 [19] User-friendly home automation based on 3D virtual 2010 metabots' mobility on virtual environments world [25] 3D virtual worlds and the metaverse: Current status [37] Ownership in the virtual world and the implications for 2018 2013 long-term user innovation success and future possibilities [29] New artistic behaviors in "Second Life" 2016 B. Focus on Content [36] Virtual world, defined from a technological The articles discussed within the scope of the research perspective and applied to video games, mixed reality, 2018 were divided into seven different classes according to and the Metaverse their application areas and similarities with content [41] Virtual/reality: how to tell the difference 2020 analysis. These groups are listed in Table 1 according to Art on Metaverse the number of publications. [16] Meta-art: art of the 3-D user-created virtual worlds 2010 The articles that were not included in any other group [18] were gathered under a single title. It has been observed alpha. tribe 2010 that most publications in the literature are in the field of [24] Splendid isolation:‘Philosopher’s islands’ and the education in the metaverse. In order to design a learning 2012 reimagination of space [29] process in which students are actively involved by New artistic behaviors in "Second Life" 2016 modeling learning-teaching processes in virtual environments, applications for mathematics [42], engineering education [39], climbing training in sports 22  Journal of Metaverse Narin N.G. [50], and the maintenance and control of Boeing 737s The AR/VR technologies, online multi-player games, have been developed. In addition, there is a study that digital virtual twins, and blockchain applications, which introduces the virtual campus application [26] together are components of the metaverse, have been actively used with the studies in which the gamification [43,47] for a while. Furthermore, technological developments approach is used in education. that allow the purchase and sale of non-Fungible Token (NFT)-based artworks, souvenirs, and lands, which have Articles that focus on the concept of a metaverse in been very popular lately, show that the promised universe general and introduce the features and technologies is one step closer. However, for this fictional universe to required for designing the metaverse are classified under be fully realized, 5G technology needs to come into play, the title of metaverse definition and characteristics. After AR/VR hardware and content should become widespread, education, the most studied private field has been art. In and the use of peer2peer technologies should increase. this group, which is discussed under the heading of art in the metaverse, there are studies on literature and When the metaverse is brought to life as it was philosophy [18,24,34,38] that explain 3D designs in the designed, it will be possible to perform many daily virtual world [16,29], examining an avatar orchestra [31], activities such as working, traveling, shopping, going to and presenting a virtual museum experience [33]. school, having fun by creating a 3d avatar in a digital universe. Any change users make in the metaverse will be Although there are many metaverse applications in the permanently visible to almost everyone, thus providing game world today, only four articles have examined the users with greater identity and continuity of experience. subject of pure gaming. These are studies promoting The socio-cultural and psychological effects of these online multi-user games [12] and the popular game changes will also be a subject to be studied. The Second Life [13] and blending education and game in a metaverse becoming a reality will support and transform gamification approach in education [43,47]. The existing research topics and reveal new research areas. In perception of the metaverse as a second life gave birth to addition, this digital universe will be a big data source the concept of religious activities and belief in the SL. with the data it will produce. Therefore, it will also There are three articles dealing with the idea of religion provide a suitable working platform for big data, data in the metaverse. In other studies, the metaverse through science, and artificial intelligence researchers. With the simulations [28,49], retailing in the virtual world [15,27], development of the technological infrastructure and the journalism in the second life [17], home automation in the interest of researchers in this field, it is expected that the virtual world [19], and ownership and revenue number of scientific studies in the area will increase, and management in the metaverse [37] have been examined. richer content will emerge soon. All these developments V. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS herald an exciting future. The metaverse, designed as a simulation of the natural REFERENCES world, covers all areas related to humans and society and [1] Benedikt, M. L. (2008). Cityspace, cyberspace, and the spatiology of offers a suitable working platform for researchers in all information. Journal For Virtual Worlds Research, 1(1). fields, from health to sports, from education to art. This [2] Schroeder, R., Huxor, A., & Smith, A. (2001). 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