Planet Anima: a virtual graduation experience in the metaverse

ABSTRACT In this paper, we present Planet Anima, a virtual environment designed for hosting virtual graduation events in the metaverse. Through this digital space, we successfully organized an online event under the COVID-19 circumstance, including a graduation ceremony and a student art exhibition. Our user study analyzes the Planet Anima experience with a focus on collaborative engagement and creative expression. Furthermore, we explore the impact of platform choice (headset VR vs. desktop VR) on metaverse user experience. Our findings demonstrate that Planet Anima can facilitate the co-experiences that foster creativity. Notably, the results indicate that headset VR outperforms desktop VR in terms of presence, social presence, and emotional involvement. This study also highlights the gaps between virtual and physical experiences, identifying the challenge of cybersickness associated with headset VR. These insights contribute to enhancing the user experience within the metaverse.