University of Southern California

Registration is now open!

State of Play VI registration site is now open!

STATE OF PLAY VI @ NYLS

On June 19-20, 2009, New York Law School’s State of Play Conference will convene in New York to examine the past, present and future of virtual worlds. In conjunction with the University of Southern California Network Culture Project at the Annenberg School for Communication, and with support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the conference will focus on the startling rise of virtual worlds and multiplayer online games, and ask whether these worlds have reached a plateau in their development.  At the same time we will question whether we have reached a limit in our understanding of virtual worlds, and ask whether there are useful research questions still left to pursue.


This is the sixth time we will host the State of Play conference, having previously run successful conferences in New York and Singapore.  State of Play I was the first conference that examined the significance of virtual worlds and massively multiplayer online spaces, and the State of Play series is still the only conference series that takes the study of these environments seriously. As before, this conference will bring together scholars, games developers, industry leaders, government leaders, entrepreneurs, artists, social scientists and policy–makers to set the agenda for the development and study of virtual worlds.

Among the topics already planned for this year’s conference are:


·       The special challenges faced by public and private institutions in online environments;

·       Opportunities and efforts in learning and education facilitated by virtual spaces;

·       Developments in the ongoing conversation regarding ownership of virtual property, tax, and regulation; and

·       The special concerns of government in relation to terrorism, security, and money-laundering.

 
This sixth event is sure to be our best yet.  We look forward to seeing you in New York.  

For conference information, please click here