[img_inline align=”” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/cinema_shark.jpg” caption=”Scene from I-mmersion’s “]

Video game design is just a taste of what can be expected from a new generation of software engineers. Enriching the online experience through increased interconnectedness and emotional involvement is leading a new wave of cyberspace developments.

Stacey Spiegel, co-founder, president and CEO of I-mmersion, a social software firm based in Toronto, will describe the future of virtual reality in a lunch and lecture titled Playing in the Parallel World: A Perspective on Life and Entertainment in an On-line Virtual Community. The lecture is taking place Tuesday, Oct. 11, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Art Gallery of Hamilton.

The lecture is being organized to celebrate the launch of the new Software Engineering and Game Design program by the Faculty of Engineering at McMaster University.

The event is open to the public. Tickets are $35.00 and $20.00 for students. They can be purchased by e-mailing milsont@mcmaster.ca or calling 905-525-9140 ext. 27391.

One of I-mmersion's latest projects is Virtual Canada created for the 2005 World Exposition in Aichi, Japan. It allows people to virtually explore the landscape and cultural diversity of Canada in a real-time environment. Other projects include: Sharks: Predator/ Prey, Vital Space, Dinosaurs: Beyond Extinction, Dolphin Bay and Snowbirds: Try Outs.