CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

The 4th Symposium on Virtual Worlds Research (SVWR 2026)

Wednesday, 15 April 2026 | University of Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom

OVERVIEW

The Symposium aims at providing a collective update on the current state of Virtual Worlds Research across multiple disciplines. This is ranging from Games and Entertainment to Applications of Immersive Technologies and Human-Computer Interactions but not limited to. The Symposium’s goal is to provide an opportunity for knowledge sharing between these communities, discussing the Emerging Media, Transformation of the Creative Industries, and Future Lifestyle.

The Symposium invites speakers from various sectors to present their project or research in form of a 20-minute talk/presentation including a 10-minute Q&A.

Additionally, selected participants may be invited to submit an extended version of their work for an edited collection or journal special edition (TBC). SVWR 2026 seeks high-quality original research or projects in all relevant areas of Virtual Worlds, including digitization of real-world objects, human-computer interactions, 3D user interface, applications of immersive technologies across various industries such as entertainment, education, culture, heritage, production, and similar.

The event is hosted by the University of Staffordshire Games Institute, and will take place on Wednesday, 15 April 2026, from 9:00 to 17:00 in the Gallery, Catalyst Building, University of Staffordshire.

Join this event for creative talks and knowledge sharing opportunities. The Symposium speakers are invited from various fields and will provide you with the current state and upcoming updates in their respective fields.

TOPICS

SVWR 2025 seeks contributions in VR/AR/MR including, but not limited, the following areas:

Impact of Virtual Worlds on Society and Communities

Virtual Worlds for Good

Impact of Virtual Worlds on Society and Next-Gen Lifestyle

Virtual Worlds and Work Environments

Digital Heritage in Virtual Worlds

Artists Embodiment in VR

Player Behaviour in Virtual Worlds

Impact of Virtual Worlds on Loneliness and Social Isolation

Crafting Narratives in Virtual Tabletop Games

Virtual Worlds Sociology

Virtual Worlds Role in Healthcare & Wellbeing

Pedagogy in Virtual Worlds Teaching Spaces

Digitization and Visualization of Real-World Objects

Human interaction in Virtual Worlds

3D Immersive User Interface including Touch and Gesture

Applications of Immersive Technologies in Industry

Immersive Entertainment

Applications of VR/AR/MR in Education

Virtual Preservation of Culture

Immersive Real-Time Technologies

Immersive Games Design

Virtual Production

Telepresence and Teleportation in Virtual Worlds

Immersive 3D Worlds Mixed with 360° Videos

Haptics in Virtual Worlds


IMPORTANT DATES

Friday, 13 March 2026: Brief Description the Talk + Speaker(s) bio

Wednesday, 15 April 2026: Delivering the Talk (20 minutes + 10 minutes Q&A)

Please send brief of the talk and speaker(s) bio to Dr Human Esmaeili by email:

human.esmaeili@staffs.ac.uk


PUBLICATION

After the Symposium, selected participants may be invited to contribute to an edited collection or journal special edition. For further inquiries, please contact Dr Human Esmaeili:

human.esmaeili@staffs.ac.uk


PANEL MEMBERS

University of Staffordshire Games Institute

Prof. Christopher Headleand (Head of Staffordshire Games Institute)

Prof. Catherine Flick (Ethics and Games Technology)

Dr. Human Esmaeili (Games Art)

Dr. Kieran Hicks (Game Design)

Dr. Mathew Dalgleish (Games Design and Games Audio)

Dr. David Murphy (Design History, Theory, and Culture)

Prof. Esther Maccallum-Stewart (Gender and Representation in Games Design)

Matthew Novak (Senior lecturer in Games Art and Digital Capturing)

Dr. Emma Fallows (Games Art)

Dr. Andrew Wedgbury (Games Design)

Dr. Sharon Coleclough (Games Design, Representation, and Sound)

Dr. Chris Payne (Games Design and Games Audio)



Department of Creative Industries, University of Staffordshire

Dr. Monireh Astani (Animation and Immersive Media)



Department of Art, Design and Media, Sunway University & Sunway Centre for Digital Humanities and Cultural Heritage

Delas Santano (Senior Lecturer in Audiovisual Communications and Production)