Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #5 is just one week away, and it’s all happening on February 8th – 12th. If you haven’t got a ticket yet – what’re you doing? Get one right here.
We’re an ambitious lot at Pocket Gamer HQ, and we’ve worked hard to bring a worthwhile PGC experience right to your home during the year of the global pandemic. In 2020, we brought you four PGC Digital events featuring over 1,220 speakers across them, and PGC Digital #5 is looking even bigger.
The sheer amount of content on offer can be overwhelming, so I’ve put together a little collection of some of my most-anticipated parts of PGC Digital #5. This is by no means a comprehensive list of everything worth seeing, but a bite-sized chunk of the content and sessions we’ve got planned.
And don’t worry, if you miss anything, or two of your most anticipated talks clash with one another, all of the sessions will be available to watch again after the event has ended. We’ll email the Zoom VODs out to all attendees, so you can catch up on things you missed or revisit a great talk.
But before we jump into the curated picks – make sure you’ve got a ticket!
PGC Digital Meet To Match
We know that we put on a killer show brimming with captivating content, but what really sweetens the deal is the networking opportunities available too. We’ll be bringing back Meet To Match for PGC Digital #5, giving all of our delegates the opportunity to meet up and mingle as they did in the good old days.
Using the Meet To Match platform, you can search through attendees you may want to connect with, set up and manage meetings, and discover new contacts relevant to your business or interests. You can also manage your PGC sessions schedule, add talks to the calendar, and view the week’s activities at a glance.
PGC Digital Discord
To further enhance the social experience, we’re also bringing back the PGC Digital Discord server! It’s free to join up, and once you’re in, you’ll be assigned a ‘role’ based on your It’s a great way to meet and chat with fellow delegates in a more casual chat-room setting, without organising one-on-one meetings. We’ll also host a few of our fringe events in the Discord, including Careers Week and our Journalist Bar, where for one hour a day, you can get some exclusive hands-on time with Steel Media’s lovely bunch of b2b and b2c writers.
Journalist Bar
We’ll be bringing our journalist bar back once more to give developers the chance to connect with the teams at PocketGamer.com and PocketGamer.biz. It’s a rare chance for us to get to know developers and games outside the confines of emails, and a great opportunity for upcoming devs to practise pitching, or learn more about how to get their work in front of the press.
Our online journalist bar will take place in the PGC #5 Digital Discord server as mentioned above, where we’ll have a dedicated channel. The bar will be open between 2pm and 3pm BST, as our journalists will be pretty busy throughout the week. That’s your hour, use it well.
Careers Week
Despite a destructive 2020, the games industry is thriving and opportunities are still popping up. We want to make it easier than ever for jobseekers to take a shot at their next role in games.
During careers week, we’ll be casting a spotlight on available roles and jobs across the industry. PGC Digital #5 guests will have access to a live digital jobs board showcasing all of the vacancies we can muster. You’ll also get a mail-out of open roles directly to your inbox.
We’re also running a ‘recruitment hour’ in the PGC Digital #5 Discord, which all guests will be given access to. As we can’t all gather in a big conference hall safely, the Discord will let recruiters and job seekers mingle safely and share opportunities.
AND, we’re also working alongside Games Jobs Live once more, offering a free, two-hour broadcast featuring companies that are looking to hire. To get involved with all things Career Week, pop over to the signup page.
Talks, talks, talks
You know the drill, we’ve got expert speakers and sessions galore. Over 250 industry professionals across 14 different tracks, ranging from PGC staples such as The Art of Publishing and Hypercasual, to our newer offerings like Beyond Games. These are just my picks of some of the interesting sessions on offer – if you’re looking for something a bit different – head on over to the full PGC schedule.
How Mobile Games Can Leverage ASO for Post IDFA User Acquisition
When: Feb 8th, 09:30 BST
IDFA changes are going to shape a lot of business decisions in 2021 and beyond, and the impact of the change will ripple throughout marketing and UA efforts. AppTweak’s Simon Thillay will kick off The Growth Track with a talk about the implications of this, and how companies can leverage App Store Optimisation in a privacy-first market.
Superstar Session: What I Have Learnt in Ten Years in Game Development
When: Feb 8th, 14:00 BST
King executive producer Sabrina Carmona will take the stage for a superstar session all about her career in games, from her own studio in Sao Paulo all the way to her current post working on Farm Heroes Saga. Carmona will also dive into the lessons she’s learnt in a decade of working in the industry.
Superstar Session: China & Asia Video Game Markets
When: Feb 9th, 14:00 BST
Niko Partners’ senior analyst Daniel Ahmad will be heading to PGCD #5 to share his insight on the state of video game markets across China and Asia. Ahmad is a keen, trusted and consistent analyst and I’m personally quite excited to see his talk.
From Development to Publishing: Understanding Publishing Process & Trends
When: Feb 9th, 15:00 BST
Chorus Worldwide founder & CEO Shintaro Kanaoya and publishing director Jez Harris will host a session all about the process of publishing. Kanaoya has worked in games for over 20 years with roles spread across EA, Microsoft and Rare, and has valuable insight to share about games publishing in different regions.
Managing Your Investor Relationship: What to Do When Things Go South
When: Feb 10th, 16:20 BST
We’ve heard lots of talks about how to secure funding, but there’s less advice out here on what to do if the relationship begins to sour. When backing out isn’t an option, this panel of pros can offer actionable advice on how to navigate bumps in the road. Our speakers include Tony Zander from Vecr Ventures, Harri Manninen from Play Ventures, Matt Frenchman from Sugar, Michael Chang from Mavent Partners, Shanti Bergel from Transcend Fund, and Mark Cochrane, formerly of Lightneer, and CEO of a new, unannounced studio. A hefty topic needs a hefty panel.
Superstar Fireside Chat: Expanding the Universe
When: Feb 11th, 14:00
Now this IS a superstar session. Steel Media COO Dave Bradley is joined by Cavan Scott, comic writer for Marvel Entertainment and Lucasfilm. Scot has worked on stories inside Star Wars, Doctor Who, Star Trek, and Assassins Creed, and has written comics for Marvel, DC and IDW, among others. As we lean into a transmedia world where games absorb parts of many other universes, Scott will share his thoughts on the landscape, alongside stories from his own work.
Panel: Should More Games be Designed With Influencers in Mind from the Start?
When: 12th Feb, 11:00 BST
Influencer marketing is growing exponentially, and digital creators are becoming more integral to the ongoing development of particular games. Steel Media’s Big Indie Pitch manager Sophia Drake will be joined by a panel of experts to discuss whether influencers should play a larger role in game dev from the off. She’ll be joined by Jaakko Markkanen from Kukouri Mobile Entertainment, Kristian Sturt from Colossal Influence, Liviu Antoni from Altergaze, and Shanzay Usama from Square Enix London Mobile.
Got a ticket yet?
If you’re not feeling these picks, or you want to take a look at what else is on, the PCG Digital #4 schedule is live right here. If you don’t want to watch these panels I have curated, I promise I won’t take it personally.
However, I might take it personally if you don’t buy a ticket. You can do that over here. See you at the show!
