Virtual Idol Birthday Celebration Fan Meet up Takes Place in Daegu +

Article published: September 11, 2023

Original source: https://www.idaegu.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=467145

https://www.idaegu.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=467143

English translation: plaveintl

The virtual reality (VR) industry is experiencing a tremendous boom. Facebook has rebranded itself as META and is making significant strides in the metaverse business, continuously acquiring startups with relevant technology and nurturing metaverse creators. They are the forefront of the metaverse industry's expansion. Market research firms are predicting explosive growth in the metaverse market, ranging from hundreds of trillions to a quadrillion.

The government and businesses are quickly catching up with the metaverse trend. In November of last year, the Korea Tourism Organization launched the Korean Tourism Theme World Series on the metaverse platform Zepeto for promoting regional tourism. Various telecom companies have hosted fan meetings for K-pop stars and collaborated with universities to establish metaverse campuses. It has recently come to light that the controversial Jamboree contest, which faced issues with its rapid operation, was realized in the metaverse with an investment of 900 million KRW from the Ministry of Science and ICT.

Today, on the 12th, we heard about a birthday fan meetup for PLAVE, the virtual idol group led by Yejun. Curious, we decided to visit the café in Nam-gu where the event was happening. Our reporting team had a chance to witness the metaverse trend in action at the location.

Yejun's Heartfelt Words that Won Over Fans.

As we arrived at the venue where the fan meetup was being held, we couldn't help but notice a café adorned with Yejun's banners and posters. Some fans were snapping selfies against this backdrop, and one fan even proudly displayed Yejun's photo on their eco-bag, revealing their deep affection. It seemed that, even though these idols only exist in the virtual realm, the passion fans had for them was no different from that of real-world idol enthusiasts.

Upon stepping into the café, we were struck by the interior, which was adorned with Yejun's photos and various merchandise. It was evident that the fans' dedication to the virtual idol ran deep. We had a brief interview with a representative from the PLAVE fan club.

The representative who organized this event shared, "I stumbled upon them on YouTube and started getting interested."They also added, "Their exceptional singing talent, especially Yejun's endearing way of speaking, served as the catalyst for becoming a fan of the virtual idol."

They also explained, "The most significant charm of virtual idols is that they can do things in the virtual world that are impossible in reality, like levitation."

The organizer expressed some regret, saying, "There have been many events like this in Seoul, but when we looked into whether there were any in Daegu, we found none." However, they added, "This became our motivation to host the fan meetup in Daegu," and they said, "We hope that the culture of virtual idol fan meetups will become more active in Daegu as well."

Even though these idols exist solely in the virtual realm, fans wholeheartedly support them, going as far as organizing fan meetups in the real world. It was evident that the metaverse's advantage lies in seamlessly traversing the boundaries between reality and virtuality, allowing interaction with entities that don't physically exist. Through today's reporting here, we could better comprehend the growth trajectory of the metaverse.

In the K-pop scene, it's a common tradition for fans to celebrate their favorite idols' birthdays by reserving cafés and coming together to mark the occasion. Upon hearing that this tradition has expanded to include virtual idols, we made our way to a café in Daegu to conduct an interview with the event organizer.

Q: How did you first discover the group PLAVE?

A: I've always had an interest in the virtual industry, and by sheer coincidence, I stumbled upon PLAVE's music. Their songs matched my taste, so I started exploring their videos and ended up becoming a fan.

Q: So, which song do you like the most?

A: Well, I enjoy all of them, but lately, I've been really into "The 6th Summer," their latest release.

Q: What kind of content does PLAVE offer?

A: They regularly conduct live broadcasts on platforms like YouTube and Twitch, usually about 2-3 times a week as announced beforehand. Additionally, they make appearances on music shows like traditional idols and release music videos.

Q: Who's your bias, and why?

A: I'm particularly fond of Yejun, who happens to be the center of attention at the birthday café today. I think it's his warm way of speaking that really resonates with me.

Q: What sets virtual idols apart from traditional idols, in your opinion?

A: The allure lies in their ability to pull off various performance styles that ordinary people couldn't, like levitation. It seems like people who used to be fans of 2D (animated) characters are now embracing virtual idols wholeheartedly, enjoying their fandom activities without hesitation.

Q: Can you tell us about the size of the fandom?

A: Based on the numbers from our fancafe, it's roughly around 51,000 members. I'm not part of the management, so I can't give you the exact figures, but it seems like the gender split is about 8:2, with a majority of female fans.

Q: How did you come to organize this birthday café event?

A: In Seoul, there are plenty of fan-related events like birthday cafés and exhibitions, but Daegu didn't have as many. So, we decided to take matters into our own hands and organize one ourselves.

Q: How did you come to organize this birthday café event?

A: In Seoul, there are plenty of fan-related events like birthday cafés and exhibitions, but Daegu didn't have as many. So, we decided to take matters into our own hands and organize one ourselves.

With the COVID-19 pandemic making virtual life more commonplace, including the metaverse, it appears that continuous learning is essential to keep up with our ever-changing world.