The Metaverse Virtual Economy: A Comprehensive Overview

Yıl 2024, Cilt: 13 Sayı: 4, 1320 - 1335, 15.10.2024

N. Ceren Türkmen , Dilek Sürmeli

https://doi.org/10.33206/mjss.1350087

Öz

The concept of the metaverse, where digital and physical realities merge, has garnered significant attention, particularly with advancements in virtual and augmented reality. This study scrutinizes the Metaverse Virtual Economy (MVE), an innovative convergence of real and virtual experiences. By synthesizing insights from prior research on the metaverse, the article explores transformational factors leading from the real world to the meta-universe, considering economic implications, both microeconomic and macroeconomic. Described as an expansive, closed-loop, perfectly competitive market, the MVE minimizes transaction costs and intermediaries. At a macroeconomic level, the MVE may foster sustainable economic growth; however, this growth might be uneven, reflecting the digital divide. As the integration of the metaverse into daily life continues, and the frictions between the two universes diminish, there arises a need to investigate the impact on economic policymaking including the potential applications of virtual currencies. The findings of his study suggest that the MVE poses both opportunities and challenges for businesses and consumers alike. It also emphasizes the necessity for careful exploration, regulation, and understanding of the complex dynamics to leverage the metaverse as a vital component of the future economy.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Metaverse, Virtual Economy, Economic Growth, Unemployment, Virtual Currencies, Economic Policies

Etik Beyan

During the writing process of the study “The Metaverse Virtual Economy: A Comprehensive Overview” scientific rules, ethical and citation rules were followed. No falsification was made on the collected data and this study was not sent to any other academic publication medium for evaluation.

Metaverse Sanal Ekonomisi: Kapsamlı Bir Genel Bakış

Öz

Dijital ve fiziksel gerçekliklerin birleştiği metaverse kavramı, özellikle sanal ve artırılmış gerçeklik alanındaki gelişmelerle birlikte büyük ilgi görmüştür. Bu çalışma, gerçek ve sanal deneyimlerin yenilikçi bir birleşimi olan Metaverse Sanal Ekonomi'yi (MVE) incelemektedir. Makale, metaverse ilişkin önceki araştırmalardan elde edilen içgörüleri sentezleyerek hem mikroekonomik hem de makroekonomik sonuçları göz önünde bulundurarak gerçek dünyadan meta-evrene giden dönüşümsel faktörleri araştırmaktadır. Geniş, kapalı döngü, tam rekabetçi bir piyasa olarak tanımlanan MVE, işlem maliyetlerini ve aracıları en aza indirir. Makroekonomik düzeyde, MVE sürdürülebilir ekonomik büyümeyi teşvik edebilir; ancak bu büyüme dijital uçurumu yansıtacak şekilde eşitsiz olabilir. Metaverse'ün günlük hayata entegrasyonu devam ettikçe ve iki evren arasındaki sürtüşmeler azaldıkça, sanal para birimlerinin potansiyel uygulamaları da dahil olmak üzere ekonomi politikası oluşturma üzerindeki etkisinin araştırılması ihtiyacı ortaya çıkmaktadır. Bu çalışmanın bulguları, MVE'nin hem işletmeler hem de tüketiciler için hem fırsatlar hem de zorluklar ortaya koyduğunu göstermektedir. Ayrıca, metaverse'ü geleceğin ekonomisinin hayati bir bileşeni olarak güçlendirmek için karmaşık dinamiklerin dikkatli bir şekilde araştırılması, düzenlenmesi ve anlaşılması gerekliliğini vurgulamaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Metaverse, Sanal Ekonomi, Ekonomik büyüme, İşsizlik, Sanal Para Birimleri, Ekonomi Politikaları

Kaynakça

• Athey, S., & Stern, S. (2022). The metaverse and economic theory. American Economic Review, 112(3), 1105-1112.
• Bellavitis, C., Fisch, C., Wiklund, J. (2021). A comprehensive review of the global development of initial coin offerings (ICOs) and their regulation. Journal of Business Venturing Insights, 15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbvi.2020.e00213
• Chalmers, D., Fisch, C., Matthews, R., Quinn, W., and Recker, J. (2022). Beyond the bubble: Will NFTs and digital proof of ownership empower creative industry entrepreneurs? Journal of Business Venturing Insights, 17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbvi.2022.e00309
• Chang, L., Zhang, Z., Li, P., Xi, S., Guo, W., Shen, Y., ... and Wu, Y. (2022). 6G-enabled Edge AI for Metaverse: Challenges, Methods, and Future Research Directions. arXiv preprint arXiv:2204.06192. Retrieved from: https://arxiv.org/abs/2204.06192
• Chen, Y., Bellavitis, C. (2020). Blockchain disruption and decentralized finance: The rise of decentralized business models. Journal of Business Venturing Insights, 13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbvi.2019.e00151.
• Chohan, U.W., Metaverse or Metacurse? (February 19, 2022). Retrieved from: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4038770 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4038770.
• Dionisio J. D.N., Burns I. I.I.W.G., Gilbert R. (2013). 3D virtual worlds and the Metaverse: Current status and future possibilities. ACM Comput. Surv. 45(3), Article 34, 38 pages. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/2480741.2480751
• Fisch, C. (2019). Initial coin offerings (ICOs) to finance new ventures. Journal of Business Venturing, 34(1), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2018.09.007
• Goetzen, N. (2022). The metaverse promises to redefine marketing—here’s how to get started. Retrieved from: https://www.emarketer.com/content/metaverse-promises-redefine-marketing-here-s-how-started
• Grimshaw, M. (2014). The Oxford Handbook of Virtuality. New York: Oxford University Press.
• IEEE. (n.d.) https://metaverse.ieee.org/
• Jung, S. H. (2021). How to prepare for Metaverse. Seoul: BOOKK Publishing. ISBN13 9791137256989, ISBN10:1137256982
• Kemp, J., Livingstone, D. (2006, August). Putting a Second Life “metaverse” skin on learning management systems. In Proceedings of the Second Life education workshop at the Second Life community convention (Vol. 20). CA, San Francisco: The University of Paisley.
• Ledezma, I. (2021). Product-market integration with endogenous firm heterogeneity. Oxford Economic Papers 73 (3): 1345-1368. https://doi.org/10.1093/oep/gpab001
• Lee, J. Y. (2021). A Study on Metaverse Hype for Sustainable Growth. International Journal of Advanced Smart Convergence, 10(3), 72-80.
• Ning, H., Wang, H., Lin, Y., Wang, W., Dhelim, S., Farha, F., Ding, J. ve Daneshmand, M. (2021). A survey on metaverse: the state-of-the-art, technologies, applications, and challenges. Cornell University Arxiv,1-34.
• Ondrejka, C. (2004). Escaping the gilded cage: User created content and building the metaverse. NYLS Law Rev., 49 (1), 81-101. Retrieved from: https://digitalcommons.nyls.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi? article=1310&context=nyls_law_review
• Ryu, C.Y.; Ahn, J.K.. (2007). A Study on Digital Storytelling in the Virtual World, Journal of the Game Industry, No. 1, 30-47
• Son, K. M., Lee, B. R., Shim, K. H., Yang, K. H. (2006). Matrix World Metaverse Created by Web 2.0 and Online Games, ETRI CEO Information 47, 1-26.
• Suh, S.S. (2008), A Study on Metaverse Development Trends and Prospects, In Proceedings of the Korean HCI Society, Conference, Seoul, Republic of Korea, 10–12 December 2014; pp. 1450–1457.
• Türkmen, N.C. (2021). COVID-19: The Black Swan of Labor Market. Transition to New Normal After Covid-19: Strategies to Turn Crisis Into Opportunity (1st ed., pp. 139-148). Peter Lang GmbH.
• Türkmen, N.C. (2022). Metaverse Economy: Survival in The Futuristic Technological Ecosystem. Technology Change Future (1st ed., pp. 1-12).
• Uysal B., Semiz T.(2022). A new age in health: Metaverse. Gevher Nesibe Journal of Medical & Health Sciences, 7(18), 93-102. http://dx.doi.org/10.46648/gnj.424
• Wang, X., Wang, X., & Zhang, W. (2022). The Metaverse: A New Economic Frontier. Frontiers in Virtual Reality, 3(1), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.3389/frvir.2022.832351
• Weinberger, M., & Gross, D. (2023). A Metaverse Maturity Model, GJCST, vol. 22, H2, pp. 39–45,2023, doi: 10.34257/GJCSTHVOL22IS2PG39.
• Yang, Q., Zhao, Y., Huang, H., Xiong, Z., Kang, J., & Zheng, Z. (2022). Fusing blockchain and AI with metaverse: A survey. IEEE Open Journal of the Computer Society, 3, 122-136. doi: 10.1109/OJCS.2022.3188249.