Next generation virtual worlds : societal, technological, economic and policy challenges for the EU

This report provides an overview of the opportunities that next generation virtual worlds may bring in different sectors such as education, manufacturing, health, and public services among others. This potential will need to be harnessed in light of the challenges the EU may need to address along societal, technological, and economic and policy dimensions. We apply a multidisciplinary and multisectoral perspective to our analysis, covering technical, social, industrial, political and economic facets. The report also offers a first techno-economic analysis of the digital ecosystem identifying current key players in different subdomains related to virtual worlds.