Rasa Antanavičiūtė

The Head Librarian at the Girstupis branch of the Kaunas Vincas Kudirka Public Library, Lithuania

My work combines a passion for literature, community engagement, and innovative technology. With The Book Metaverse, I aim to merge reading and technology into a unique, game-like experience that inspires people to read and imagine more. This project reflects my belief that books can become living worlds and readers can become their creators. I am thrilled to share this concept with a wider international audience and explore its potential for empowering readers and building creative, inclusive digital spaces.

The Book Metaverse – Where Stories Become Worlds

The Book Metaverse is a visionary concept for an AI and VR powered educational experience that transforms the act of reading into the creation of immersive, evolving digital worlds. Although the project is still in its conceptual phase, it illustrates the potential of combining literature, artificial intelligence, and interactive design to engage modern readers — especially children and young people — who are increasingly drawn to visual and gamified media.

Upon entering a book title, an AI system generates a unique city and its details. The more the reader shares — either by retelling the story or expressing emotions — the more the world expands with characters, buildings, and immersive landscapes. Over time, readers build entire countries or universes from their reading journeys. This game could motivate creativity, develop storytelling skills, and reflection. The concept has particular value for students with reading challenges (e.g., dyslexia or low text comprehension), as it offers visual feedback and story-building elements that support deeper engagement.

While this is not yet a fully developed platform or game, visual prototypes created using generative AI show how the idea could take shape. The Book Metaverse is not just a tool — it is a creative vision of what reading can become in the 21st century.

Date and time: 2025-12-02, 17:00-17:20 (20 min)

Hall: GAMMA