Games

Dan has over a decade of experience in the games industry, as a journalist, attorney, writer, producer, and consultant. He is an expert on legal issues surrounding virtual worlds/MMO’s, and online interactive communities such as wikis and web forums. Dan is a regular speaker on legal issues in the games industry at conferences and events such as PAX and GDC, and represents primarily indie studios and gaming services startups.

Dan got his start in the industry as a staff writer for Tacsim.com, a small site on the UGO gaming network that covered tactical simulations such as the first Rainbow Six games. Eventually rising to the position of Senior Editor, Dan branched out and began guest-writing for Gamespy as an editor on 3dactionplanet. During this period, Dan became a beta-tester and community manager for the popular Half-life commercial mod Firearms, eventually becoming a member of the development team and a producer on the game’s ill-fated sequel, World at War. He has also been a production intern on Jane McGonigal’s Top Secret Dance Off, as well as a narrative designer for the popular commercial MUD Dragonrealms.

After being recruited by Funcom for their live support team for the MMORPG Age of Conan, Dan left to pursue his dream of becoming an attorney. Studying with some of the nation’s foremost legal scholars for the electronic content industry, Dan earned his J.D. from American University’s Washington College of Law. His legal thesis was written on the application of the harmful-effects doctrine to jurisdiction in virtual worlds and MMORPGs. He was also named an IGDA Scholar for the business and legal track.

Dan is the co-author of a chapter in the upcoming book International Intellectual Property & Related Legal Issues in Virtual Worlds, which is being published by the American Bar Association in 2011. He is also the author of several legal articles, including Competing Theories of Cyberspace Jurisdiction in MMORPGs and Virtual Worlds: Why the Harmful Effects Doctrine Must Emerge Victorious, Avatar Rights: Applying a Human Rights Framework to Virtual Worlds and MMOGs, and various case studies.

Currently, Dan’s practice, Game Law Partners, represents clients in the games industry as counsel for legal, executive/studio management, business development, and public relations matters. Dan is committed to representing indie developers and startups in the gaming services industry. Some of his representational work includes: You Have No Legs, Influence, and TGN.tv.