It's worth noting that, at the younger level, the lines between virtual worlds, games, and social networking blur heavily," said Joey Seiler, Editor, VirtualWorldsNews.com. "If nothing else, it's highlights the trend of users merging their activities into one immersive space."

"The lines get even more confusing with companies like Disney announcing plans to launch 9 additional unnamed worlds and Viacom's MTV Networks' Neostudios planning to launch an additional world per year," said Christopher Sherman, Executive Director, Virtual Worlds Management. "So far, most of their products have been targeted at kids and tweens, but the teen and young adult market is sure to look more and more attractive."