Virtual Worlds Forum

Advisory board

The Virtual Worlds Forum Europe advisory board represents seasoned industry professionals who have worked with us as and shared their expertise as a sounding board to ensure programme quality.

• Aleks Krotoski, Journalist, The Guardian and virtual worlds researcher

  Aleks Krotoski is a columnist for The Guardian's Technology section and for Guardian Unlimited, where she writes about the social dimensions of interactive entertainment, emerging community experiences in virtual worlds and other aspects of social software. She is currently working towards a PhD in social psychology examining the social networks of Second Life. In particular, she is interested in understanding online social influence, and how information diffuses through online populations.

• Alice Taylor, Commissioning Editor, Education, Channge 4 TV

  Alice Taylor has over a decade of experience working in new media, from developing Channel 4’s first website (www.channel4.com) in early ‘96 to more recently, Vice President of Digital Media for BBC Worldwide in Hollywood. Alice specializes in cross-media entertainment, videogames and interactive entertainment and was recently a judge for the 2006 Machinima awards, the 2007 Independent Games Festival and Edge Magazine Awards. Alice founded the gamecentric blog Wonderland (www.wonderlandblog.com) and has written about gaming for sites and magazines, including BBC News, The Guardian, Paste magazine, the New Statesman, and Kotaku. Wonderland was recently nominated for Best Non-Commercial Website or Blog in the MCV Games Media Awards.

• Jessica Mulligan, COO, ImaginVenture SA

  Jessica Mulligan is an online game professional with over twenty years of industry experience at all levels of management and is considered a pioneer of the online game/MMO space. Currently Chief Operating Officer of ImaginVenture, a virtual world start-up in Lugano, Switzerland, she was recently a consultant to Sunflowers GmbH of Germany and the Board of Directors for Nevrax and Executive Producer of Saga of Ryzom for Nevrax - Paris. Her past positions include Executive Producer and Creative Director at Turbine Entertainment Software on the Asheron's Call franchise, the Director handling in-game events and story in Ultima Online for Electronic Arts, Director of Operations for MM3D Inc on the Middle Earth Online game and positions with AOL, National Videotex and Interplay Productions, among others, in various executive and management roles. A respected author and commentator on online games, Jessica is the co-author of "Developing Online Games: An Insider's Guide" with Bridgette Patrovsky, which has been published worldwide in several languages, including Chinese and Korean. She was also the author of the influential bi-weekly industry opinion column, Biting the Hand, between 1997 and 2003. Jessica has served on the Board of Advisors for the Austin Game Developers Conference since 2004.

• Joe Little, Digital Communications & Technology, Chief Technology Office, BP

  Joe works in the Chief Technology Office of BP Group looking at new and emerging technologies for real business value. His specialisation is in collaborative and social networking. Joe also specialises in Rich Internet Applications and has more recently focused on researching potential technology transfers from the Games Industry including marketing in games, learning through games and new approaches to simulation, modelling and visualisation through games and virtual worlds.

• Leigh Jackson, Deputy Director (Business Engagement), Communications & Content Industries Unit, BERR (Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform)

  Leigh Jackson leads the Business Engagement Team in the Communications & Content Industries Unit of BERR (Department for Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform). She and her team champion the policy and regulatory interests of the digital communications and content sectors, both at a national and European level. They work with more than 100 of the leading telecoms and communication equipment suppliers, mobile network operators, ISPs, media companies and computer games companies. Leigh also currently leads on policy development for virtual worlds at BERR.

• Lord Puttnam of Queensgate

  David Puttnam was educated in London at Minchenden Grammar School, and completed his education through evening classes at City and Guilds, London. After ten years in the advertising industry, he spent thirty years as an independent film producer. His many award winning films include The Mission, the Killing Fields, Local Hero, Chariots of Fire, Midnight Express, Bugsy Malone, and The Memphis Belle. He was Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Columbia Pictures from 1986 to 1988 - the only non-American ever to run a Hollywood Studio. David retired from film production in 1998 to focus on his work in education. He was Chancellor of the University of Sunderland from 1998 to July this year, and recently became Chancellor of the Open University. He was the founder (in 1998) and is Chair of Trustees of the National Teaching Awards. In addition to having served as the first Chair of the General Teaching Council for England (2000-2002), he has also served on a variety of other public bodies. He was founding Chair of the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, and for ten years chaired the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television. He was also Vice President and Chair of Trustees at BAFTA from 1994 to 2004, and was awarded a BAFTA Fellowship in 2006. In February 2006 he became Deputy Chairman of Channel Four, in April 2006 Chairman of Futurelab and in April 2007, Chairman of Profero. Also in April 2007 he was appointed Chairman of the Climate Change Bill’s Joint-Parliamentary Scrutiny Committee. His most recent appointment is as Chairman of the North Music Trust Board at The Sage Gateshead. In July 2002, David was appointed President of UNICEF UK, and has played a key role in promoting UNICEF’s advocacy, awareness and fundraising objectives. In the UK he has been instrumental in helping to forge new fundraising partnerships within the film, music and property industries, and has spoken at numerous events. David was awarded a CBE in 1982, received a Knighthood in 1995 and was appointed to the House of Lords in 1997. In France he has been honoured as a Chevalier (‘85), Officer (’92) and, most recently (2006) Commander of Arts and Letters.

• Phil Elliott, editor, GamesIndustry.biz

  Phil joined the Eurogamer Network in July 2007 as editor of GamesIndustry.biz, previously working as editor at GameSpot UK, and consumer technology and gaming correspondent for BBC Radio Five Live, where he established the Talking Technology programme. He has also written for the BBC News website, and appeared on BBC TV and radio networks on numerous occasions, discussing the gaming issues of the day

• Professor Richard Bartle, University of Essex

  Dr Richard Bartle co-wrote the first virtual world, MUD ("Multi-User Dungeon") in 1978, and has thus been at the forefront of the online games industry from its very inception. A former lecturer in Artificial Intelligence and current Visiting Professor in Computer Game Design (both at the University of Essex, U.K.), he is an influential writer on all aspects of virtual world design, development, and management. As an independent consultant, he has worked with most of the major online game companies in the U.K. and the U.S. over the past 20 years. His 2003 book, Designing Virtual Worlds, has already established itself as a foundation text for researchers and developers of virtual worlds alike.

• Ren Reynolds, Philosopher and writer

  Ren Reynolds is a consultant, philosopher and writer based in the UK and numerous virtual worlds, as well as the founder of the Virtual Policy Network . Academically Ren writes about the philosophy / ethics of technology, computer games and virtual worlds. As global head of strategy for Internet, Mobile & Applications for Cable & Wireless, Ren developed a Digital Media service portfolio. Ren has also consulted in marketing and product strategy / development for British Airways, BBC, Sky, Publicis and the UK Government; and has written extensively for IBM on the business application of emerging technologies for strategic advantage. Ren has numerous media credits including MTV, G4 TV, BBC World Service, NY Public Radio, Radio Sweden, and has been interviewed by New Scientist, Popular Science, The Guardian and many others.

• Steve Prentice, VP and Gartner Fellow, Gartner

  Gartner Fellows take a leadership role in the investigation of high-level strategic issues across all research areas in Gartner, building a highly integrative view of future trends and industry developments. Mr. Prentice takes a particular interest in the longer term (5-10 year) scenario for the development of IT, its evolving role in supporting and enabling new business models; and the relationship with societal trends and behaviour. Current research topics include the Consumerisation of IT, Virtual Worlds, Social Networking and Gaming and emerging technology and societal trends.. Mr. Prentice joined Gartner in March 1997, building on more than 20 years experience in a variety of marketing, product and consulting roles across hardware, software and services companies in the ICT sector. Mr. Prentice holds a B.Sc. Hons. degree in marine biology from the University of Liverpool, a postgraduate diploma in technological economics from the University of Stirling and a postgraduate certificate in business management from Coventry University.