Journal of Virtual Convergence Research

This study aims to analyze the factors influencing middle school teachers’ intention to adopt metaverse-based education by integrating the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). Specifically, it focuses on how educational usefulness, ease of use, social influence, and facilitating conditions affect teachers’ acceptance intention. A survey was conducted with 208 middle school teachers across the country, and the collected data were analyzed using path analysis conducted within the framework of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) based on observed variables. The analysis revealed that educational usefulness and ease of use had significant positive effects on acceptance intention. Although social influence did not have a direct effect on acceptance intention, it functioned as a significant mediating variable that strengthened the effects of educational usefulness and ease of use. The Sobel test confirmed the significance of indirect effects, with educational usefulness and ease of use showing significant mediated effects via social influence. Meanwhile, facilitating conditions moderates these relationships, enhancing the effect of ease of use on acceptance intention and weakening the effect of educational usefulness. This study underscores the importance of providing systematic training to enhance teachers’ confidence in using metaverse technologies, improving technological infrastructure, and fostering a supportive school environment. The findings offer both policy and practical implications and suggest directions for future research.

This study compares the terms of service for three major metaverse platforms—ZEPETO, Roblox, and The Sandbox—to see how they incorporate Web 3.0’s four key traits: decentralization, openness, participation rewards, and data ownership. The findings show that each platform adopts Web 3.0 features differently. ZEPETO, derived from a Web 2.0 company, remains relatively centralized, though it encourages user-generated content and offers virtual currency rewards. Roblox supports a robust creator economy and allows real-currency conversions of its in-game currency, yet retains a degree of centralized oversight. The Sandbox demonstrates the highest level of decentralization by integrating blockchain, tokenizing user assets, and promoting inter-platform transactions. These results underline the need for more user-centric, standardized terms of service consistent with Web 3.0 principles and call for further research that includes the perspectives of platform operators and creators.

This paper explores how AI-driven Procedural Content Generation (PCG) enhances user experience in games and metaverse environments. PCG plays a critical role in automatically generating large-scale content, offering personalized experiences, and reducing development time and costs. The study analyzes various examples of AI and PCG applications to show how dynamic environments increase user immersion. Additionally, the paper presents systems that leverage AI techniques, such as reinforcement learning, to adjust user experience and dynamically balance game difficulty in real-time.

This study deeply explores the copyright issues related to architectural structures and spatial information when utilizing digital twin technology in the Metaverse and Synthetic Training Environment (STE). The Metaverse is a hyper-realistic platform where reality and virtuality merge, allowing users to experience a variety of activities and interactions within it. STE is an advanced virtual environment for military training, enabling effective exercises by precisely replicating actual battlefield scenarios. In these settings, digital twins serve as accurate digital replicas of real-world architectural structures, significantly contributing to public interest objectives such as training for responses to terrorism in multi-use facilities within national defense and public safety sectors. However, the issues under the Copyright Act that arise during the digital replication process and the applicability of the fair use doctrine have not been clearly defined yet. This study seeks creative and sophisticated institutional solutions to resolve these copyright issues through integration with the latest technologies like BIM(Building Information Modeling). Additionally, it aims to propose a legal framework that balances copyright protection with fair use while leveraging digital twins of architectural structures and spatial information for public interest purposes.

This paper proposes the Proof of Contribution Score (PoCS) algorithm to enhance blockchain consensus by integrating block verification capabilities into metaverse clients and quantifying individual node contributions. PoCS addresses the centralization issues inherent in the traditional Proof of Stake (PoS) algorithm by evaluating not only a node’s stake but also other factors such as block generation frequency and network activity. This ensures a more equitable and decentralized consensus process. PoCS is combined with Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance (PBFT) to improve stability and reliability within permissioned blockchain environments. A key innovation of PoCS is the introduction of a fairness baseline, which visualizes deviations in node contributions, effectively detecting imbalances and potential biases in the node selection process. This allows for fair evaluation and reward distribution, fostering long-term network stability and scalability. PoCS is particularly applicable in complex environments such as the metaverse, where it can contribute to building a fair and sustainable blockchain ecosystem. By providing a solid foundation for enhancing the fairness of leader-based consensus algorithms, PoCS can significantly strengthen the blockchain’s capability in such dynamic environments.

This study explores an innovative solution to address South Korea's declining population and rapid aging: the "Metaverse-based Korean Digital Citizenship NFT" model. Current population policies in South Korea fail to fully reflect the changing values and needs of the younger generation. This research proposes a model that leverages metaverse and NFT technologies to capitalize on Korea’s two key strengths—K-Culture and advanced ICT infrastructure—by issuing digital citizenship as NFTs that bridge metaverse spaces with reality. This model aims to attract global fanbases, enabling users to engage in diverse content consumption and production within the metaverse, while simultaneously offering tangible benefits during their visits to Korea. The feasibility of the proposed "Metaverse-based Korean Digital Citizenship NFT" model is assessed by examining successful projects such as Estonia’s e-Residency program, Decentraland, and The Sandbox. Through this, the study estimates how digital citizenship in the metaverse and NFT-based economic activities could enhance Korea's cultural influence and economic gains, contributing to national competitiveness. A mixed-method research approach, including literature reviews and case studies, is adopted to analyze the model’s feasibility, societal potential, and associated challenges. The findings suggest that the "Korean Digital Citizenship NFT Model" holds potential to attract domestic and international talent by activating global fandoms and a startup ecosystem centered on K-Culture. This model could contribute to the stabilization of national finances, the growth of digital asset transactions, and overall fiscal improvements, offering concrete economic benefits. Future research should address the legal and policy support structures, along with the technical challenges of the model, while assessing its long-term economic and social impact.

In response to the accessibility challenges faced by hearing-impaired individuals in virtual reality (VR) environments, this study proposes an AI-based sound cue visualization system to enhance their interaction experience. The advancement of XR technologies has revolutionized immersive experiences, yet hearing-impaired users continue to face significant constraints in both verbal and non-verbal communication. Addressing these limitations, this research develops a system leveraging the YAMNet model, an audio event classification model capable of distinguishing between 521 audio classes, to detect and visualize auditory information in real-time. At the core of the system architecture lie three main modules: sound detection and classification, visualization transformation, and VR interface. Through these modules, we implement three distinct prototypes: spatial experience support recognizing environmental and animal sounds to enhance immersion; emotion recognition activation analyzing vocal characteristics to improve communication abilities; and safety and emergency response for detecting and x-alerting environmental hazards. Built on Unity with Meta Quest 3 hardware, the prototype utilizes Sentis for efficient on-device deep learning inference. To evaluate the system's effectiveness, this study proposes comprehensive user experience assessments targeting hearing-impaired individuals and their support personnel. These evaluations will measure VR environment immersion, information comprehension, and satisfaction using a 5-point Likert scale. While representing a significant step toward digital inclusivity, this research requires further empirical testing with hearing-impaired individuals and stakeholders. Future development paths include conducting real user tests in multiplayer VR environments, advancing sound recognition capabilities, and exploring sign language-to-text conversion systems, ultimately contributing to an equitable digital environment where universal participation becomes reality.

As metaverse business gradually spreads across industries against the backdrop of the 2020 pandemic and the Korean New Deal policy, the appropriate future value of companies pursuing metaverse business is being discussed. Traditionally, profitability-based valuation methods such as the DCF (Discounted Cash Flow Model) method are applied when calculating the future value of general companies, and these existing methods are used when evaluating the value of companies pursuing metaverse business, a new growth industry. Applying it as is has its limitations. Presenting future corporate value by applying an appropriate valuation method that matches the characteristics and circumstances of the Metaverse business is essential for activating financing for industrial growth and the investment decisions of investors who supply funds. Accordingly, this study reflects the characteristics of the metaverse business based on previous research on corporate valuation methods and analysis of the three-year (2020 to 2022) financial status and corporate trends of 113 domestic listed companies that have promoted the metaverse business. A corporate valuation method was proposed. As a result of the research, the majority of companies promoting metaverse business have just been commercialized and are in a deficit before monetization, so among the existing valuation methods, PSR(Price to Sales Ratio), a multiplier method suitable for negative cash flow, is used and applied. It was concluded that it would be appropriate to seek. In addition, this study derived a method to reflect the Metaverse interest index and Metaverse business sensitivity in PSR in that the future value of the Metaverse business is created by expanding the ecosystem according to the public's interest and sensitivity. Moreover, since the Metaverse business shows similar characteristics to venture companies, a method of applying the company value discount rate by considering the company's maturity and interest rates as risk factors was proposed.

This paper examines the evolution of legislative frameworks governing IT convergence industries in response to the rapidly shifting technological landscape of the Web 3.0 era. It highlights the innovative regulatory approaches established in South Korea, specifically through the Virtual Convergence Industry Promotion Act (VCIPA), which incorporates self-regulation and provisional standards to address the limitations of traditional models. These mechanisms seek to balance governmental oversight with corporate autonomy, facilitating industry growth while ensuring public safety and trust. The study further discusses the relevance of the “Wait and See” principle and flexible regulation models, which accommodate the unpredictable pace of innovation. As the paradigm of Web 3.0, powered by decentralized technologies such as blockchain, reshapes the internet, a robust, adaptable regulatory framework becomes essential. The VCIPA’s emphasis on provisional standards and self-regulation is portrayed as a pioneering response to these needs, enabling consistent legal applications and fostering a resilient, fair digital ecosystem. In the Web 3.0 context, the paper underscores the necessity of regulatory balance, independent self-regulation, and enhanced digital literacy for a sustainable digital ecosystem.