This book examines learning and research in virtual worlds. The scope of the work is inclusive of virtual worlds from Second Life¿ to World of Warcraft¿ and their application in real world academic work across a myriad of disciplines.

This book was originally published as a special issue of Learning, Media & Technology.

Jeremy Hunsinger is Assistant Professor of Communication Studies at Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada.

Aleks Krotoski is a Research Associate at the Oxford Internet Institute, and writes for The Guardian and Observer newspapers. She is based in London, UK.

1. Learning and researching in virtual worlds Jeremy Hunsinger and Aleks Krotoski 2. Immersed in Learning: supporting creative practice in virtual worlds Denise Doyle 3. Design of learning spaces in 3D virtual worlds: an empirical investigation of 'Second Life' Shailey Minocha and Ahmad John Reeves 4. Social virtual worlds for technology-enhanced learning on an augmented learning platform Li Jin, Zhigang Wen and Norman Gough 5. How to enable knowledge exchange in Second Life in design education? Aukje Thomassen and Pete Rive 6. `Elven Elder LVL59 LFP/RB. Please PM me¿: immersion, collaborative tasks and problem-solving in massively multiplayer online games Iro Voulgari and Vassilis Komis 7. Serious playground: using Second Life to engage high school students in urban planning Kerry Mallan, Marcus Foth, Ruth Greenaway and Greg T. Young 8. The city at play: Second Life and the virtual urban planning studio David Thomas and Justin B. Hollander 9. The potential for scientific collaboration in virtual ecosystems Brian Magerko 10. On being bored and lost (in virtuality) Kristen Moore and Ehren Helmut Pflugfelder