메타버스 내 UGC 생산 및 소비에 대한 사용자 경험 및 유형 분석

Abstract

Background Since the COVID-19 pandemic, game-based Metaverse platforms are growing rapidly as a venue for various social activities. This study proposes the concepts and theories of the context of overall user experience and user types of game-based Metaverse related to user-generated content (UGC) as the core experience of game-based Metaverse. Methods This study selected representative game-based Metaverse platforms : Animal Crossing, Roblox, Minecraft, and Fortnite as the research subjects. In-depth interviews were conducted on 16 MZ generation subjects, the main users of the targeted platforms. The data collected with open coding, axial coding, and selective coding, which are the analytical procedures of grounded theory established by Strauss and Corbin (1990), were used to analyze the data. Result Based on the grounded theory open coding process, 40 concepts and 13 categories were deduced, and then used to derive a paradigm model about the game-based Metaverse user experiences in the axial coding stage. Through the hypothetic standardization, the user types in game-based Metaverse were determined as the ‘display type,’‘relational type,’ ‘operator type,’‘developer type’, ‘architect type,’ and ‘dreamer type.’ Also, characteristics of each type was suggested. Conclusion The core user experience in forming and building Metaverse is the circulation of production and consumption of user-generated content. Six user types of game-based Metaverse were proposed depending on the motivation, purpose, and factors of interest to experience the platform. In subsequent research and platform development, the user types and characteristics proposed in this study can be used as reference materials.