Jeffrey Ventrella
Encyclopedia
Jeffrey Ventrella is a digital artist, programmer
, and researcher
. Ventrella was principal inventor and, with Will Harvey
, co-founder of the virtual world
There.
product There.com in 1998. Ventrella motivated the conceptualization and implementation of "avatar
-centric communication" at There. Ventrella subsequently worked as a Senior Developer at Linden Lab
, makers of Second Life
. Speaking on the official Second Life
blog, former Linden Lab
CEO Cory Ondrejka
referred to Ventrella as "one of the world's experts on avatars and 3D communications." One of Ventrella's core projects in Second Life was "avatar puppeteering," an area where he has also published scholarship.
Ventrella is also known as the author of Gene Pool, an artificial life game demonstrating Darwinian evolution. He has published several articles in the artificial life
community. Prior to his career in virtual worlds, Ventrella joined Rocket Science Games
in 1995, where he prototyped games and designed the artificial life simulator Darwin Pond.
Ventrella taught at the Centre for Digital Media
at Great Northern Way Campus
, in Vancouver
, British Columbia
. He frequently appears on the Biota.org podcast.
and a Master of Fine Arts in Computer Graphics from Syracuse University
.
Programmer
A programmer, computer programmer or coder is someone who writes computer software. The term computer programmer can refer to a specialist in one area of computer programming or to a generalist who writes code for many kinds of software. One who practices or professes a formal approach to...
, and researcher
Researcher
A researcher is somebody who performs research, the search for knowledge or in general any systematic investigation to establish facts. Researchers can work in academic, industrial, government, or private institutions.-Examples of research institutions:...
. Ventrella was principal inventor and, with Will Harvey
Will Harvey
Will Harvey is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur who, at the age of 15, achieved fame for writing Music Construction Set, the first commercial sheet music processor for home computers...
, co-founder of the virtual world
Virtual world
A virtual world is an online community that takes the form of a computer-based simulated environment through which users can interact with one another and use and create objects. The term has become largely synonymous with interactive 3D virtual environments, where the users take the form of...
There.
Career
Ventrella co-founded the virtual worldVirtual world
A virtual world is an online community that takes the form of a computer-based simulated environment through which users can interact with one another and use and create objects. The term has become largely synonymous with interactive 3D virtual environments, where the users take the form of...
product There.com in 1998. Ventrella motivated the conceptualization and implementation of "avatar
Avatar (computing)
In computing, an avatar is the graphical representation of the user or the user's alter ego or character. It may take either a three-dimensional form, as in games or virtual worlds, or a two-dimensional form as an icon in Internet forums and other online communities. It can also refer to a text...
-centric communication" at There. Ventrella subsequently worked as a Senior Developer at Linden Lab
Linden Lab
Linden Research, Inc., d/b/a Linden Lab, is a privately held American Internet company that is best known as the creator of Second Life....
, makers of Second Life
Second Life
Second Life is an online virtual world developed by Linden Lab. It was launched on June 23, 2003. A number of free client programs, or Viewers, enable Second Life users, called Residents, to interact with each other through avatars...
. Speaking on the official Second Life
Second Life
Second Life is an online virtual world developed by Linden Lab. It was launched on June 23, 2003. A number of free client programs, or Viewers, enable Second Life users, called Residents, to interact with each other through avatars...
blog, former Linden Lab
Linden Lab
Linden Research, Inc., d/b/a Linden Lab, is a privately held American Internet company that is best known as the creator of Second Life....
CEO Cory Ondrejka
Cory Ondrejka
Cory Ondrejka is a software developer best known as the former Chief Technology Officer of Linden Lab, makers of Second Life. With Philip Rosedale, Ondrejka co-founded Second Life and played a significant role in the architecture of the product...
referred to Ventrella as "one of the world's experts on avatars and 3D communications." One of Ventrella's core projects in Second Life was "avatar puppeteering," an area where he has also published scholarship.
Ventrella is also known as the author of Gene Pool, an artificial life game demonstrating Darwinian evolution. He has published several articles in the artificial life
Artificial life
Artificial life is a field of study and an associated art form which examine systems related to life, its processes, and its evolution through simulations using computer models, robotics, and biochemistry. The discipline was named by Christopher Langton, an American computer scientist, in 1986...
community. Prior to his career in virtual worlds, Ventrella joined Rocket Science Games
Rocket Science Games
Rocket Science Games was a video game developer that created games for consoles and computers from 1993 to 1997. The company was responsible for games such as Obsidian, Rocket Jockey, and Loadstar.-History:...
in 1995, where he prototyped games and designed the artificial life simulator Darwin Pond.
Ventrella taught at the Centre for Digital Media
Centre for Digital Media
The Centre for Digital Media is a converted multimedia facility at the Great Northern Way Campus in Vancouver, British Columbia, which is mirrored in Second Life as a "Virtual" Centre for Digital Media. The Centre houses a Master's Degree program in Digital Media....
at Great Northern Way Campus
Great Northern Way Campus
Great Northern Way Campus Ltd is a private limited company and educational enterprise located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is the offspring of a consortium of four local academic institutions that has attracted...
, in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. He frequently appears on the Biota.org podcast.
Education
Ventrella holds a Masters degree in Media Arts and Sciences from the MIT Media LabMIT Media Lab
The MIT Media Lab is a laboratory of MIT School of Architecture and Planning. Devoted to research projects at the convergence of design, multimedia and technology, the Media Lab has been widely popularized since the 1990s by business and technology publications such as Wired and Red Herring for a...
and a Master of Fine Arts in Computer Graphics from Syracuse University
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
.
Publications
- "Avatar Physics and Genetics," Lecture Notes in Computer ScienceLecture Notes in Computer ScienceLecture Notes in Computer Science is a series of computer science books that has been published by Springer Science+Business Media since 1973....
, 2000 - "Evolving Structure in Liquid Music," The Art of Artificial Evolution, 2008
- "GenePool: Exploring the Interaction Between Natural Selection and Sexual Selection," Artificial Life Models in Software, 2005
- "Emergence of Morphology and Locomotion Behavior in Animated Characters," Artificial Life IV, 1994
- "Gliders and Riders"
- "Evolving the Mandelbrot Set to Imitate Figurative Art"