Virtual Policy ’08 – UK conference on Public Policy and Virtual Worlds

Next week (July 22nd & 23rd), the Virtual Policy Network, a group focused on researching the public policy implications of virtual worlds, will be holding the first conference in the UK on public policy issues related to virtual worlds, dubbed Virtual Policy ’08. The event is co-sponsored by the UK government’s Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, and with all the recent news about virtual world investment, I think it’s really interesting that a government department focused on business development and regulation is playing a key role in the conference.

Here in the US, there are a number of debates about virtual worlds and their social and economic implications, including issues about appropriate content and crime within virtual worlds, but the US government so far has not taken a strong stance on public policy related to virtual worlds. That could change, however, if the potential revenue generation and social importance of virtual worlds continue to grow.

Via Terra Nova