Wednesday, 10 October 2007 | Levent OZLER
Imaginary Forces Technical Director Eric Mason to Speak at Virtual Worlds Conference
Eric Mason, Technical Director of Imaginary Forces, will be speaking at the Virtual Worlds Conference & Expo at the San Jose Convention Center taking place today and tomorrow.
On Thursday, October 11thfrom 4:30 5:30 p.m., Mason will be participating on the panel, Virtual Worlds & Big Media: The future or the ruination of the virtual world space along with Rick Giolito, President of Trilogy; John Batter, COO of Dreamworks Animation; and Peter Marx, Managing Partner of Analog Protocol to discuss the presence of big media companies within the virtual realm.
Virtual worlds (VW) were originally driven by user-generated content and socialization, but have now become the new hotbed of activity for large media companies and retailers, which continue to look for new ways to push their brands in the online space. There.com, which develops virtual properties for MTV, and Second Life are examples of the how big-brand presence has changed the content and experience of online communities.
Mason was part of the Imaginary Forces team that worked with There.com and other vendors to design and launch the Virtual Laguna Beach online community for MTV last summer to rave results.
The panel of experts from both the virtual world and traditional media areas will discuss the future of the VW space. Will there be an inevitable move to a brand-driven model that can count on sustainable recurring revenue or will it continue to hold true to its roots as a purely social experience as evidenced by the original incarnations of There and Second Life. What is the effect that big brands and retailers may have on VWs as money is spent to increase fidelity and interaction in an effort to turn profit. Finally, the speakers will cover the viability of the subscription-based model. Will e-commerce, ad-sales and sponsorship drive the VW space along the lines of mainstream media.
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