January 2017 | Business View Magazine

20 21 EXECUTIVE VIEW Global Virtual Reality Association founders are thrilled with the new organization and its critical role in the evolution of the VR industry. In their words: ACER STARBREEZE “As the VR industry is taking off, it is crucial that we increase dialogue among stakehold- ers to ensure we are building a solid foundation to drive innovation for the years to come. The GVRA brings together industry leaders and fosters collaboration; StarVR looks forward to taking part in this exciting journey.”- Jerry Kao, CEO, Acer Starbreeze Corporation GOOGLE “The GVRA is a necessary first step toward ensuring great VR experiences for every- one, through collaborating on research and sharing best practices as the field grows and evolves.We look forward to working with our industry colleagues.”- Jon Wiley, Director of Immersive Design, Google HTCVIVE “It is important that we as an industry are working together to establish best practices and common resources for our industry that will drive toward the $120 billion projec- tion by 2020. The GVRA represents industry leaders and hardware manufacturers across the globe who are creating the best VR experiences available.”- Rikard Steiber, SVP, Vive FACEBOOK’S OCULUS “We’re still very much in the early stages of VR, so it’s critical that industry leaders work together to create and share ideas on how we can safely build this industry. I’m looking forward to working with other hardware makers to proac- tively address the challenges we need to solve to make VR a success over the long term.” - Jordan McCollum, General Counsel for Oculus at Facebook SAMSUNG “The rapid growth of the virtual reality industry presents many challenges as well as opportunities. It is important that we set a clear precedent for best practices and create a solid foundation from which we can build meaningful progress. Samsung is pleased to join the GVRA and to work with other industry leaders to promote re- sponsible development and adoption of VR globally.”- Tae-Yong Kim, Vice President, Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics importance of making certain that consumers, governments, and industries around the world receive maximum benefits from the technology. The GVRA founding members aim to contribute constructively to that global dialogue to en- sure the continued growth of the VR ecosystem worldwide. This is a group that believes in the immense potential of VR, and the incredible opportuni- ties ahead in the fields of education, training, healthcare, design, and countless others. While seeking to educate public and private interests about VR’s potential, the association is also uniting international experts to head off chal- lenges inherent with developing and deploying the technology responsibly. Working groups will be organized to produce relevant research and guidance on topics im- portant to the industry. The GVRA will also host and participate in international discussions to shape open dialogue on the technology, and the latest in education and training material will be made available to the public on an on- going basis. The GVRA is led by a Board comprised of the member companies, and includes two tiers of members: “Sponsor Members” and “Regular Members.” Sponsor Members vote on all mat- ters requiring approval of the Association, and the size of the Board may increase accordingly as new Sponsor Members are added to the organization. A company may be eligible to join the group as a Regular Member, provided it is an international VR headset manufacturer com- mitted to the Association’s purpose of growing the worldwide VR industry, and has its member- ship application approved by the Board. For more information, visit www.GVRA.com