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Welcome to FaVE 2009

Scope

In recent years, persistent multi-user virtual environments (VE) have come into widespread use on the Internet. As more and more people spend more and more time in these environments, it is becoming obvious that this technology is not merely another medium. Rather, these systems have become sophisticated enough to be considered by their users as actual worlds. Alongside these virtual worlds, emergent effects such as social networking, online economies, virtual businesses and online culture are appearing.

While currently most of the major virtual environments extant online are games such as "World of Warcraft"®, various non-game applications exist and are being developed. These range from classical virtual worlds (e.g. "Second Life"®) to eLearning applications and other serious games. We expect that within a few years time, virtual environments will see pervasive usage similar to the Internet. This forecast raises many exciting challenges and questions, such as future virtual environments supporting millions of users simultaneously, the status of virtual property, or the phenomenon of increasingly close-knit online communities.

Against this background, it is surprising that many of the relevant research topics are still poorly developed. The FaVE conference seeks to address this deficit and provide a venue to research related to the many facets of persistent virtual environments. We therefore welcome diverse contributions covering the entire range of subjects around the vision of present and future persistent virtual environments. This includes both the underlying technology and the resulting, emergent aspects. As such, FaVE is an interdisciplinary academic conference connecting lawyers, engineers, and social scientists.

We welcome previously unpublished work relating to virtual environments, from all fields.

Location

Berlin, Germany's exciting and historic capital, is not only a city with a turbulent past but is nowadays a dynamic and ever-changing creative and cultural melting pot. Hundreds of world-class museums, as well as cinemas, theatres, concert halls, shopping hotspots and fine international restaurants await the visitor. July is the high point of Berlin's summer, the ideal time to relax with a cocktail on an inner-city beach or sample the shady charms of the many inviting lakes that dot the surrounding countryside.