[Pronouns: he/him] Raph Koster is a veteran game designer who has been professionally credited in almost every area of the game industry. He’s been the lead designer and director of Ultima Online (one of the first MMOs to reach $1B) and Star Wars Galaxies. He founded a successful metaverse company called Metaplace, sold to Disney Playdom and he’s widely respected as one of the greatest social designers of sandbox games. His book A Theory of Fun for Game Design is one of the undisputed classics in the games field and was recently revised for a 10th anniversary edition. In 2012, he was named an Online Game Legend at the Game Developers Conference Online. Founder/CEO of Metaplace; executive at Sony and Disney.

Eric has been a pioneering online game designer (including MadMaze, the first online game to draw 1MM players), a game company executive, and a founder of multiple start-ups. He’s a long-time advisor and board member in games, virtual worlds, edtech, social media, and monetization. Recent nine-figure game exits include Pixelberry, PlaySpan, and Playdom. He speaks frequently at conferences on the next generation of games and on venture investment.

Niina, originally from Osaka, Japan, brings 14 years of seasoned expertise in operations, cultivated through diverse roles in law firms, Japanese tech companies, and co-founding several startups. Over the past six years, she has played a pivotal role in the success of multiple ventures, leveraging her extensive skills in legal, human resources, finance, and project management. Beyond her professional achievements, Niina finds fulfillment in cherishing precious moments with her family as a new mother, expressing her musical passion as a vocalist, challenging herself physically through competitive weightlifting, and actively contributing to the community by supporting a youth-focused martial arts non-profit.