Using Cinematic Virtual Reality to Get Acquainted with the Metaverse

Abstract This paper discusses the opportunities for using cinematic virtual reality (CVR) to enhance our understanding of the imagined metaverse – the recently emerged new digital age phenomenon. The paper approaches the concept of the metaverse from an interaction point of view, which is one of the more common characteristics used to conceptualise the metaverse, approaching it as a phenomenon involving the convergence of real and virtual worlds, but also humans and machines. The article investigates the possibilities of using the relatively unexplored phenomenon of CVR, which facilitates the desired interaction while requiring the least prior knowledge and skills from the user, and thus might ease our acquaintance with the imagined metaverse. The difference between virtual reality (VR) and CVR lies in the generation of the VR world: traditional VR is typically generated through 3D graphics processing and audio triggers in real time, whereas CVR exclusively uses pre-rendered pictures and sound elements. Thus, the main difference between the two lies in the textual content and intended way of consuming it without dissimilarity in technology. With reference to three drama genre cases, the aim of this paper is to explore one of the crucial components of CVR—namely, through the established convention of the viewer perspective in traditional cinema (first-person, second-person and third-person perspective).