Keynote

Yoichi Wada

Chairman
Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association

Panel Discussion

Yoichi Wada

President and Representative Director, SQUARE ENIX

Shin Unozawa

Chief Operating Officer, NAMCO BANDAI Games

Haruhiro Tsujimoto

President and Chief Operating Officer, CAPCOM

Keynote

John Schappert

Corporate Vice President
LIVE, Software and Services Business
Microsoft Corporation

Special Session
The Collision of Virtual Worlds, Online Games, and Social Networking

Jim Crowley

President and CEO, Turbine

Summary of Speech

Traditional massively multiplayer online games (MMOs) have morphed into sophisticated social networks and there are multiple types of virtual environments that exist today online. For one, online games provide immersive, directed, experiences. Virtual worlds provide more open environments with a heavy focus on builders, but they lack a structure. Social networks, on the other hand, are easy to use online destinations where users can create and share virtual identities and communities. This lecture will examine the convergence of online games, virtual worlds and social networks and what this means for games and for players in the future. Jim Crowley will discuss the latest trends in online gaming as well as describe what social features Turbine has incorporated into its online games to help improve the multiplayer experience.

Speaker Bio

Jim Crowley is Turbine's president and CEO. He brings a wealth of operational experience to Turbine and is responsible both for the vision and the day-to-day operations of the Company. Prior to joining Turbine, Jim spent three years as Chief Operating Officer of m-Qube, Inc which he helped turn into one of North America's largest mobile media companies. Jim also spent eight years as the Chief Operating Officer of Network Plus, Inc., one of the country's largest publicly traded competitive telecommunications and data providers. Crowley is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School and Connecticut College.