What exactly is a virtual world? Why do people spend so much time in virtual worlds, and what do they do there? What is an ‘avatar'? How can we explain the fascination of these artificial worlds? How can these virtual worlds affect people's daily lives and what are the advantages, if any?

At this year's ISFE conference, prominent keynote speakers will give the public an insight into the best known virtual worlds, how they function, who lives, works and plays in them, what they are good for, and why, if and how they should be regulated. Keynote speakers such as Edward Castronova, author of Synthetic Worlds: The Business and Culture of Online Games and Exodus of the Virtual Worlds, Andrew Burn, Associate Director of the Centre for the Study of Children, Youth and Media, as well as Viviane Reding, European Commissioner for Information Society and Media, together with experts and interested audience members, will take a close look at the economic, business and legal implications accompanying the development of these parallel worlds of which our industry is at the forefront.