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 understanding 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 demonstrate 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.