audio & slides (51 MB)
Where will they go to play online? MySpace and Facebook are limited platforms for gaming, with mostly asynchronous play and a lack of high quality games. These sites are also limited to the U.S. with other social networks maintaining strong footholds in other regions. But instant messaging networks such as Windows Live Messenger and AOL have hundreds of millions of users already engaged worldwide, real-time play that includes chat, voice and video, and higher quality games. What’s the value proposition for consumers, developers and networks? Could IM be the social gaming network of the future?
Delivered at Casual Connect Seattle, July 2008
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Vlad Cole (email)
Vladimir Cole is a business development manager in Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business (IEB), focusing on strategic planning and new business opportunity analysis within the Games for Windows Live Messenger, MSN Games, and Games for Windows – LIVE platforms.
Prior to Microsoft, and before graduating from Wharton’s MBA program, Vlad served as Editor-in-Chief of Joystiq, overseeing its growth from indie upstart to world’s largest video games blog. He also managed ecommerce and interactive media projects at companies including ESPN, The Economist Group, and Scholastic.
In his spare time, Vlad can be found scouring Seattle for Vera Pizza Napoletana, playing Rock Band, and tracking the flow of venture dollars into video games at VGVC.net.
Martin Green (email)
Martin runs Meebo’s business activities, including business development, marketing and revenue generation. He started his career at Morgan Stanley and joined CNET in 1996. Martin spent 10 years at CNET Networks in a variety of strategic, financial and general management roles, and was a member of the company’s executive committee. He devised ad programs for CNET’s tech clients which delivered over $100 million in annual revenues, led the development of CNET’s in-house ad server, inventory and yield management process, and led and integrated several acquisitions to expand the company’s reach and revenue capacity. Martin grew up in England and Canada and lives in San Francisco with his wife and two children
David A.M. Wallerstein (email)
David A.M. Wallerstein is the Senior Executive Vice President of Tencent, China’s largest Internet community with over 300 million unique active user accounts. Mr. Wallerstein has been a core member of the Tencent executive management team since 2001, helping to drive the company’s growth from the start-up phase to the present. Mr. Wallerstein is responsible for Tencent’s international strategic partnerships and helping to formulate the long-term development strategy of the company.
Prior to joining Tencent, Mr. Wallerstein was Vice President, Business Development of MIH Asia, overseeing MIH’s entry strategy into China’s Internet sector. Mr. Wallerstein worked on the establishment of a number of MIH Internet businesses in China, and was responsible for China investment strategy, including MIH’s investment in Tencent. Before MIH, Mr. Wallerstein was a management consultant based in Shanghai and Beijing, advising Fortune 500 companies on China entry strategy. Prior to working in China, Mr. Wallerstein worked at SONY Corporation in Tokyo, Japan
Mr. Wallerstein has a Master’s Degree in Political Economy from UC Berkeley, and graduated Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude from the Jackson School of International Studies of the University of Washington. He is proficient in Mandarin Chinese, and Japanese. He maintains active presences in Shenzhen, China and Redwood City, California.
