Leveling Up: the Advance of Chinese Online Game Operators in China and Beyond

Lisa Cosmas Hanson will speak on online gaming in China at Stanford University.

There are more than 120 million Chinese gamers, and nearly every one of them plays online games. Online games are a primary source of entertainment in China, and Chinese online game operators are the companies that enable the fun. These companies have built expertise in a unique market and have set their sights on global expansion.

Come hear Lisa Cosmas Hanson, Managing Partner of Niko Partners, The Leader in Asian Video Game Market IntelligenceTM, discuss the innovation, excellence and possible points of weakness of the leading Chinese online game operators as they embark upon the quest of taking their talents to the rest of the world.

The seminar will address the following questions:

    * Who are the leading Chinese online game operators?
    * What was their impetus for growth and innovation?
    * In what ways are these companies leading their global competitors?
    * In what ways are these companies lagging their global competitors?
    * What is the history and potential future for foreign game companies in China's online games market and for Chinese companies overseas?

About the speaker

Lisa Cosmas Hanson is the managing partner and founder of Niko Partners, The Leader in Asian Video Game Market IntelligenceTM. Her responsibility includes client relations, research and analysis, business development, operations and partnerships. Lisa founded Niko Partners in 2000 and has since developed expertise on the Chinese and Southeast Asian online games industries that has benefited Niko's clients, companies that are global leaders in game publishing, game services, hardware and investments.

Lisa has spent 17 years honing her experience in management positions and in the roles of Asian and specifically Chinese market research analyst, Asian and Chinese market entry consultant, Japanese equities analyst, and US-Japan economic policy analyst. She has been a well-regarded speaker on global technology markets for many years.

Lisa has lived and worked in New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Tokyo and London, and makes frequent trips to Shanghai and Beijing for Niko Partners. Her past US-based international business roles included extensive travel throughout Asia and Europe. Lisa speaks Japanese and is studying Mandarin. She earned an MA in International Economic Policy from the American University in Washington, D.C., and a BA in Political Science & International Affairs from UCLA. She believes in peace through intercultural understanding, hence she volunteers her time for AFS Intercultural Programs, a leading global student exchange program organization.