Virtual Economy Research Network

Time: Tuesday, 26. September, 13:00-16:00 (GMT+3)
Location: Helsinki Institute for Information Technology (6th floor), Tammasaarenkatu 3, Helsinki.

On 26. September, the DCC research group at HIIT is organising a mini-seminar under the topic "Massively multi-user services and the item payment model". A keynote speech will be delivered by our visitor from Korea, professor Leo Sang-Min Whang of Yonsei University. Prof. Whang is a leading researcher of the psychology of MMORPGs and virtual items in Korea.

Other speakers are Sulka Haro, Lead Concept Designer at Sulake Corporation, creators of the popular teenage virtual world Habbo Hotel; and Teddy Grenman, founder of Dynamoid, the company behind Finland's top community site IRC-galleria and WoW-players' picture community Dark Portal. Both of these successful companies are applying the item payment revenue model. Questions that will be addressed during the seminar include "how is demand for virtual items created?" and "what are the limits of virtual property trade?"

Preliminary schedule

13:00 Introduction & relevance
Dr. Marko Turpeinen, leader, DCC research group
Vili Lehdonvirta, researcher

13:20 Prof. Leo Sang-Min Whang, Yonsei University

14:30 Teddy Grenman, Dynamoid

15:15 Sulka Haro, Sulake Corporation

The seminar is targeted at researchers and companies working in related fields. Please RSVP to vili.lehdonvirta@hiit.fi before Friday, 22. September.

Welcome!
Vili Lehdonvirta & Mikael Johnson / HIIT DCC