A VTuber Finally Enters International Academic Publishing! "Indentity in Metaverse"
A VTuber Enters International Academic Publishing! Nem, Mila, and Junji Ohyama Author an English Book Chapter for IntechOpen: “Identity in Metaverse”
A VTuber Enters International Academic Publishing! Nem, Mila, and Junji Ohyama Author an English Book Chapter for IntechOpen: “Identity in Metaverse”
Virtual Girl Nem has finally achieved her long-awaited English-language academic publication!
On May 20, 2026, IntechOpen, one of the world’s leading academic publishers, published the English book Metaverse, MetaIntelligence and Infinite Worlds with AI. Chapter 12, “Perspective Chapter: Identity in Metaverse,” was written by myself, Virtual Girl Nem, as the first author, together with Mila and Professor Junji Ohyama. The chapter is available for free as open access.
This publication marks the first major opportunity to introduce to the English-speaking world the concept of “cosplay of identity,” which I originally proposed in my book Metaverse Evolution Theory. Based on the latest data and new analysis, the chapter explores how identity is transforming in the age of Social VR. IntechOpen has published more than 8,000 peer-reviewed books and has achieved over 100 million downloads, making it a massive global platform for academic knowledge. To my knowledge, this is the first time a Japanese VTuber has participated as an author in an IntechOpen book.
In this article, I would like to introduce the publication and what it means. I would be very happy to hear your thoughts on X or elsewhere!
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What Is IntechOpen? A Global Platform of Knowledge with Over 8,000 Peer-Reviewed Books and More Than 100 Million Downloads
IntechOpen, one of the world’s leading academic publishers
IntechOpen is one of the world’s leading open access academic publishers. Founded in 2005, it has published more than 8,000 peer-reviewed open access books and has surpassed 100 million downloads.
Its network includes participants from 176 countries, more than 11,600 institutions, and over 202,000 authors and editors, including Nobel Prize winners and Highly Cited Researchers. The scale and reach of this academic network are truly remarkable. IntechOpen has also received international recognition for academic publishing, and the quality of its publications is highly regarded worldwide.
One of IntechOpen’s most distinctive features is its open publishing model, in which experts from around the world gather around specific themes and contribute peer-reviewed knowledge to form a single edited volume. In this sense, IntechOpen functions as a vast global platform that gathers cutting-edge knowledge across borders and opens it to the world.
Source: IntechOpen, “About IntechOpen”
The English Book Metaverse, MetaIntelligence and Infinite Worlds with AI Was Published on May 20 as an Open Access International Academic Volume
On May 20, IntechOpen published the English book Metaverse, MetaIntelligence and Infinite Worlds with AI. The book is open access, which means anyone can download and read it for free. A print-on-demand version is also available.
“Metaverse, MetaIntelligence and Infinite Worlds with AI (IntechOpen)”
Book Information
- Book title: Metaverse, MetaIntelligence and Infinite Worlds with AI
- Edited by: Jane Thomason, Meltem Huri Baturay, Ritesh Jain, and Ferdi Çelik
- Publisher: IntechOpen
- Format: Open access, available for free; print copies available via print-on-demand
- Print ISBN: 978–1–83635–551–9
- Published: May 20, 2026
Overview
The Metaverse and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are rapidly shaping the next iteration of human experience. Metaverse, MetaIntelligence and Infinite Worlds with AI brings together leading scholars to explore how immersive worlds are transforming education, healthcare, identity, governance, creativity, and digital economies.
This diverse collection of chapters, spanning immersive learning, adaptive digital twins, AI-based meta-universities, digital travel, embodied presence, ethical metaverse design, and next-generation virtual health, offers a multidisciplinary view of an emerging digital civilization. Bridging theory, practice, and global case studies, the book examines the profound social, ethical, and cultural questions raised as AI becomes the cognitive engine of virtual worlds.
It provides essential insights for educators, policymakers, technologists, innovators, and researchers seeking to understand the future of life, work, and learning in the intelligent Metaverse. This book is a comprehensive, timely, and necessary guide to one of the most transformative technological frontiers of our century.
Source: IntechOpen, *Metaverse, MetaIntelligence and Infinite Worlds with AI*
A VTuber Joins an IntechOpen Book for the First Time: Chapter 12, “Identity in Metaverse,” Written by Nem, Mila, and Ohyama
Chapter 12 of the book, “Perspective Chapter: Identity in Metaverse,” was written by Japanese VTuber and author Virtual Girl Nem as the first author, together with Swiss anthropologist Liudmila Bredikhina and cognitive psychologist Junji Ohyama.
You can read Chapter 12 for free here:
**Perspective Chapter: Identity in Metaverse | IntechOpen**
Chapter 12, “Identity in Metaverse” — “Metaverse, MetaIntelligence and Infinite Worlds with AI (IntechOpen)”
How Does the Metaverse Change Us? Exploring the “Self” in the Metaverse Era Through Surveys of Over 5,000 People and Experimental Data
The following is the original abstract of Chapter 12, “Perspective Chapter: Identity in Metaverse.”
Abstract
Who do you want to be in the metaverse? The virtual world known as the “metaverse” is attracting attention as a communication service called “Social VR,” where people can immerse themselves in realistic experiences through VR headsets.
Millions of residents already live there as avatars, leading lives as a “new self.” What is the nature of the new identities that emerge in this space? In this chapter, Virtual Girl Nem, a heavy user of Social VR and author of Metaverse Evolution Theory, Liudmila Bredikhina, an anthropologist also active as the VTuber “Mila,” and Junji Ohyama, a psychologist studying identity in both the physical and virtual worlds, introduce the concept of “Identity in the Metaverse.” Discussions are based on quantitative and qualitative data from large-scale online surveys and laboratory experiments to explore the form of Identity in the Metaverse era.
Chapter 12, “Identity in Metaverse” — “Metaverse, MetaIntelligence and Infinite Worlds with AI (IntechOpen)”
Bringing “Cosplay of Identity” to the English-Speaking World: Toward an Era in Which We Live as Who We Want to Be Through Avatars
The following is the original section structure of Chapter 12, “Perspective Chapter: Identity in Metaverse.”
Sections
- Introduction: Welcome to the world of “Social VR”
- Over 5,000 responses from metaverse residents: The “Social VR Lifestyle Survey”
- “Cosplay of identity” in the metaverse
- Avatars: Identity in the visual world
- Avatar appearance: Both men and women choose feminine avatars
- Living in the desired appearance
- Reasons for the preference of feminine avatars
- Diversity of avatar species
- Cognitive and behavioral changes induced by avatar use
- Influence of VR Life: 92% report positive effects
- Do users hide their VR identity? 55% said “no”
- Main identity in life: Which is the “true self”?
- Social and self-augmentation through the metaverse
- The era of designing identity: How to create the best “self”?
- For the future of metaverse: Ethical and social perspectives
You can read Chapter 12 for free here:
**Perspective Chapter: Identity in Metaverse | IntechOpen**
What Is “Cosplay of Identity”? The Concept Also Appeared in This Year’s National Institute of Technology Entrance Exam in Japan
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“Cosplay of identity” is a concept I first proposed in my book Metaverse Evolution Theory, published by Gijutsu-Hyohron in 2022.
In physical reality, human beings have long lived by accepting the names, appearances — in other words, avatars — and voices given to them at birth. In the metaverse, however, these elements can be freely designed. As a result, identity is changing from something that is assigned to something that is designed. Furthermore, people can now live while switching among multiple identities. By “wearing identity on the soul” as if changing clothes, humanity gains the freedom to live as the self it wishes to become.
This concept also appeared as a question in the Japanese language section of the common entrance examination for Japan’s National Institutes of Technology, held on February 8 this year, where it became a major topic of discussion among examinees.
Author Profiles
Virtual Girl Nem
VTuber / Writer
Virtual Girl Nem is a Japanese VTuber, author, and metaverse culture evangelist. Under the theme “Become who you want to be in virtual worlds,” she conducts livestreaming, writing, and research activities with the goal of advancing human evolution.
Her book Metaverse Evolution Theory, published by Gijutsu-Hyohron in 2022, won the IT Engineers Book Award 2023. She has given many lectures and talks, including at the United Nations Internet Governance Forum. In 2025, she was selected for Forbes JAPAN’s “NEXT100: Hopes to Save the World.”
Liudmila Bredikhina
Also known as “Mila,” Anthropologist
Liudmila Bredikhina is a Swiss anthropologist and doctoral student. In 2022, she published her master’s thesis on “Babyniku” and VTubers, receiving the Prix Genre, an academic award in the field of gender studies from the University of Geneva.
In 2024, she was featured in a documentary on NHK’s Deepest Japan Studies. Together with Nem, she works as part of the research unit “Nem x Mila,” regularly publishing large-scale survey reports under the title Social VR Lifestyle Survey.
Junji Ohyama
National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology / University of Tsukuba
Junji Ohyama is a Japanese cognitive psychologist. He serves as a senior researcher at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, and as an associate professor in the Faculty of Human Sciences at the University of Tsukuba.
His research focuses on cognitive interaction design, XR experiences, and DE&I in UI/UX — design that enables diverse people to use and participate in systems more easily. He also serves as an international expert and domestic committee chair for ISO/IEC JTC1/SC35, the international standardization committee for user interfaces. He is also the developer of Xperigrapher®, an application for XR evaluation experiments.
He holds master’s degrees in engineering and neuroscience, as well as a Ph.D. He is a member of the Japanese Psychological Association, the Information Processing Society of Japan, and Sigma Xi.
- Official website: Cognitive Interaction Design Laboratory
- Academic portal: ResearchGate
- Academic portal: researchmap
Large-Scale Survey Report Identity in the Metaverse Is Also Available for Free
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The large-scale qualitative survey report that formed the basis of this chapter, Identity in the Metaverse: Social VR Lifestyle Survey 2024 by Nem x Mila, is also available in both Japanese and English.
The survey was conducted by Nem and Mila, with Professor Ohyama serving as supervisor. It received 1,012 responses from users around the world, with support for dissemination from metaverse-related media and communities.
The manual qualitative analysis carried out by Nem and Mila required an enormous amount of work. However, the results revealed, in high resolution, the diversity of new ways of living and new forms of selfhood emerging in virtual worlds.
The survey attracted significant attention, including coverage by English- and Chinese-language media, communities, and VTubers, and helped spark global discussion about identity in virtual worlds.
[embed]Identity in Metaverse (Nem x Mila, 2024) medium.com
Reference: Nem and Ohyama Also Participate in Avatar International Standardization Through an ISO Domestic Study Committee
Nem and Ohyama are also members of a domestic study committee working toward the international standardization of avatars.
In 2024, Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology announced the establishment of a “Domestic Study Committee for Avatar International Standardization” on its official website, publishing both the purpose of the committee and its member list.
The committee aims to contribute to the creation of international standards through the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for content and services that use avatars — virtual bodies in the metaverse and XR. Its purpose is to gather opinions from domestic industries and users, and to provide recommendations and advice for standards development.
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