The fifth Virtual Worlds conference is set to kick off in just over two weeks, and the organiser has told MCV that attending the event is more vital than ever for the video games industry.

Starting Monday October 20th and finishing October 21st, Virtual Worlds London 2008 aims to help companies maximise business strategies in virtual worlds. The event will take place at the QEII conference centre and will feature key speakers from the likes of Disney, Intel, Google, Samsung and BBC Worldwide.

“The games industry needs to pay attention to this because the fundamental nature of games is changing,” Piush Patel, director of business development told MCV. “Online games have evolved over the years, but of course the one thing consistent about online games has been the fact that they are largely focused on multiplayer which means community, communication social fundamentals.”

Patel added: “The lines are blurring as to how companies describe themselves, whether it’s a game company, virtual worlds company, social network, and so on. As the web continues to move toward 3D, expect to see more and more virtual worlds to include games in their mix.

“For the games industry this means two things: Evolve or die. Because if you don’t do it the guy down the road will, and secondly it means new opportunities.

“The old rules of gamer demographics and how you reach gamers with your product are changing. This allows for new revenue streams and new opportunities.”

Covering two main topics, Virtual Worlds London 2008 will tackle 2D and 3D internet strategies, together with training and collaboration –­ Virtual Worlds for business.