Description

Harassment has been a consistent feature of networked gaming for at least 30 years, and the potential for damage has only increased with the popularity of social virtual worlds in VR. Beginning in 2016, stories of verbal and physical harassment in Social VR have periodically entered the news cycle, casting the VR platforms as negligent and instigating calls for ever more solutions. These solutions have ranged from user-controlled wearables or features connected to avatars to direct platform moderation, as well as finally community driven efforts.

However, implementing tools to combat abuse requires a balancing act on multiple fronts:
- protecting users from abuse through facilitating meaningful UX design to support social experience;
- keeping social platforms active in moderation and subjecting users to mass surveillance;
- attracting new users by making social VR appealing and warning them about the potential dangers.

Speakers

Sonya Seddarasan

Founder , UPWorlds

Lance Powell

Product Manager , VEDX Solutions

Description

The next generation of the Internet should be built by a more diverse set of founders than the last. DVRSTY exists to help accelerate those founders in creating ambitious new companies within the Metaverse and Web3. We do this primarily by connecting them with capital, network and talent.

Join this panel specifically curated to encourage female founders and answer questions that might be unique to this demographic - or those who want to support their success.

Speakers

Alexandra Hussenot

CEO & Founder , Immersionn

Muki Kulhan

CIO, Executive XR/MetaTech Producer & Creative Technologist , MUKI-INTERNATIONAL, LTD

Dave Haynes

Partner , FOV Ventures

Asha Easton

Immerse UK Lead , KTN

Description

Reclaiming cultural space has been an African desire that has now transcended physical space, reality. The world is learning what it means to transcend physical space to make interactive art and stories. What does this mean for African artists?

The most crucial thing for an artist to do is to develop a sense of identity, or their own truth, which is frequently shaped by both their personal experiences and the type of industry
environment that surrounds them. What types of structures do they support? What regulations keep each sector of the economy in place? There are 275,375 creative businesses in Kenya by 2021. 44,614 of them are registered, which translates to a formalization rate of roughly 16%. The majority of artists rely on loans to support their livelihoods and discover that financial pressures force them to create art that does not reflect their identities. Be it through thematic funding rather than direct investments, or through popular trends rather than the subtleties they yearn to showcase.

We chose to allow artists the creative flexibility to build magic using Extended Reality tools and assistance from our partners. Using new tools that provided them with incredible spatial realism
in the metaverse to express their personality without having to shell out a fortune on paint or spray cans. To bring their subtleties into Virtual Reality. To enhance their artwork on their canvas in order to spark discussions and debates. Engaging visual arts. And all we had to do was show
them how to utilize the tools and provide a workspace for them to create.

In this talk you’ll learn:
1. Impact of VR and AR art on the African continent
2. Sustainable business models in VR/AR art
3. How VR and AR is contributing to economic empowerment for artists in Africa

Description

XR4EUROPE is a Pan-European association that federates all the XR professionals, organisations and initiatives to support the development of, promote and represent XR innovation, industry and creativity from Europe.

This European Not-For-Profit Association was created in May 2021, and is the result of the XR4ALL project supported by the European Commission’s H2020 programme which ran from December 2018 to August 2021. The founding members are former XR4ALL consortium members and European territorial clusters.

The aim of XR4Europe is to contribute to the development of XR in Europe. It is important to note that there are many private and public initiatives in Europe for the development of XR. These initiatives are positive, but the fragmentation of these supports does not allow sufficient resources to be mobilised for major structuring projects, whether in terms of technology, equipment or content.

In addition to providing appropriate services to its members, XR4Europe wants to contribute to reducing this fragmentation and to become an interlocutor of the sector with user companies and public authorities.

Speakers

Harriet Bartlett

Managing Director , XR4Europe

Description

The immersive quality of XR has potential for good as it's used to expose people to social situations they otherwise wouldn't experience, creating greater awareness and empathy.

When Joanne Popińska was producing The Choice, she had no idea that less than six months after it was released the United States Supreme Court would overturn Roe v Wade, ending the constitutional right to abortion almost 50 years after it was established.

Enjoy this Fireside Discussion as Joanne discusses her original goals, her surprise at how the Supreme Court decision impacted reception of her work, and the overall impact of this XR experience.

Speakers

Sönke Kirchhof

CEO , INVR.SPACE

Joanne Popinska

Director & Producer , Infinite Frame Media