A new Tech Confidential blog makes note of the recent outpouring of adoration VCs have for the virtual worlds space, and rounds up some big numbers, too:

Virtual worlds have also been attracting plenty of real VC capital. The $700 million acquisition of Club Penguin by the Walt Disney Co. and all the money "World of Warcraft" is bringing in to Vivendi SA (nearly $287 million in the second quarter) has venture firms excited about investing in virtual worlds. Doppelganger Inc. announced an $11 million financing to support the recent launch of its online virtual world — vSide — which will be three times larger than its Music Lounge predecessor.

Other venture-backed virtual worlds include: Linden Research Inc., the San Francisco-based operator of Second Life with $30 million in funding; There.com with more than $33 million; Helsinki-based Sulake Corp. Oy with more than $26 million; and Multiverse Network Inc. with $4.75 million.

The blog also correctly observes that advertisers and media companies are now looking seriously beyond television into the online space, and "with immersive environments, virtual worlds could be one of their biggest opportunities on the Internet." Tech Confidential and The Deal plan to discuss these big-bucks movements in depth at their upcoming Convergence 2.0 conference on September 17th in New York City.