Six to Start

Adrian and Dan Hon: Google Tech Talk July 2008

Adrian and Dan Hon speaking at a Google Tech Talk on 14 July 2008.

Behind the scenes of digital fiction project We Tell Stories (http://www.wetellstories.co.uk/) that turned Google Maps into a storytelling engine. Learn about how leading alternate reality game studio Six to Start works, the projects they're working on next, and the kind of toys they like to play with.

Speaker: Adrian Hon Adrian Hon is the co-founder and Chief Creative Officer at Six to Start. One of the world's foremost alternate reality game designers, Adrian has been the lead designer of games including Perplex City and We Tell Stories. Adrian is also the founder of the innovative Let's Change the Game charity that aims to raise money for Cancer Research UK through alternate reality games.

Before becoming a games designer, Adrian studied neuroscience at Cambridge University and Oxford University, and campaigned for the human exploration of Mars. Adrian also writes a weblog at mssv.net.

Speaker: Dan Hon Dan has been at the forefront of alternate reality gaming since its inception in 2001, when he co-moderated the groundbreaking online community Cloudmakers, formed to play The Beast, Microsoft's production for AI. Before co-founding Six to Start with his brother, Adrian, Dan was COO at Mind Candy, where he worked on award winning alternate reality game Perplex City.

Six to Start, launched in September 2007 recently went public with its first project, We Tell Stories, for Penguin Books, received to great critical and commercial acclaim. The company is now working on interactive, cross-platform projects for the BBC, Channel 4 and other clients.

Dan has spoken extensively on both social software and cross media gaming, and has served as a jury member for the BAFTA Videogames and RTS Education Awards. Dan has most recently spoken at South by Southwest 2008, South by Southwest 2007, the London Games Festival, Digital Communities 2006 and BBC New Media Central's Digital Futures. He appears to be spending most of his free time levelling his Horde Rogue in World of Warcraft to get ready for Wrath of the Lich King.