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Asia 2015Video Coverage

Juan Li: The Importance of Cross-Cultural Understanding | Casual Connect Video

September 29, 2015 — by Catherine Quinton

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'It is essential to gain a background in the (Chinese market's) culture and people.' – Juan LiClick To Tweet

The Chinese mobile market been growing fast and is continuing that growth at an incredible rate. In her session during Casual Connect Asia, Introduction to the Chinese Gaming Culture: Why Your Game Will Not Work, Juan Li, Project Manager for Portal2China explained how game developers can be ready for the Chinese market. Traditions run deep in China and represent a challenge for any outsider due to both the uniqueness and the complexity of these traditions. One thing to keep in mind is that, “Gifting is so important. It is a part of the culture. Exchanging a gift is a way to maintain the friendship.” Without tools and knowledge such as this, one cannot succeed in the Chinese market.

Asia 2015Video Coverage

GameTuner: Session Beta with Leonard Frankel | Casual Connect Video

September 27, 2015 — by Emily Baker

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Leonard Frankel is the Head of Business Development at Plarium

Some of Plarium‘s finest game designers gathered to dissect existing games and tune them up - specifically, a few of the games presented at the Indie Prize Showcase here at Casual Connect! We looked into them and found some changes that might improve their monetization, engagement or retention. During his session GameTuner: Session Beta which was given at Casual Connect Asia. Leonard Frankel presented their findings on Pop Puff and Away!, Shaman Showdown, and Vimala Defense WarloardsAs Plarium’s Head of BD, Leonard shared, “If you want to give players a better sense of progression and discovery, you can try to give players a map. It could go vertical, horizontal, or even round as it best fits.” This and many other tips could be applicable to you and your development endeavors.

Asia 2015Video Coverage

Itay Rokni: When Brain Meets Beauty | Casual Connect Video

September 24, 2015 — by Emily Baker

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irokniJoin the CMO of StartApp Itay Rokni in his case studies of successful native ad campaigns with the combination of tailor made design and powerful optimization. During his session at Casual Connect Asia, Itay explained, “In app purchase works great for the high end games, for the best successful companies in the world, but it’s not enough and it can’t be enough when launching a new game”.

Asia 2015Video Coverage

Robby Yung and Working with Brands in Mobile Games | Casual Connect Video

September 24, 2015 — by Emily Baker

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ryungThe CEO of Animoca Brands, Robby Yung treated the audience at Casual Connect Asia with powerful and essential tips in negotiating your commercial arrangements, project management and marketing & distribution. In his talk, Working with Brands in Mobile Games, Robby focused on how we can leverage existing brands to create new games. A big example of this are the celebrity games such as Kim Kardashian: Hollywood game by Glu Mobile Inc. Robby pointed out one reason these are successful is that, “All of these brands have social media followers, they have youtube channels where people are watching existing video content based on those brands and they also often get selected for featuring on the app stores because these are brands that are globally recognized and loved.” Being discovered is a huge part of the battle. Robby calls it a partnership between the brand and the app developer [which is] a lot about discovery and user acquisition”.

Asia 2015Video Coverage

Chris Natsuume: A Force for Good in the Developing World | Casual Connect Video

September 18, 2015 — by Gamesauce Staff

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'I don’t know anyone that has ever regretted getting a degree in programming.' - Chris NatsuumeClick To Tweet

As the moderator of the Publishing Panel, Chris Natsuume, Business Director of Boomzap Entertainment, led the discussion at Casual Connect Asia about the booming Southeast Asia market. Opportunities and challenges abound in the region, “As this part of the world gets more interesting, people from outside are going to want to get involved in this.”

Asia 2015Video Coverage

Bazil Akmal Bidin: Enjoying Every Single Minute | Casual Connect Video

September 11, 2015 — by Catherine Quinton

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'I enjoy every single moment regardless of whether it is bitter or sweet.' – Bazil Akmal BidinClick To Tweet

For game producer Bazil Akmal Bidin, Casual Connect 2012 is where it all started for Terato Tech when they signed a co-development agreement with DeNA Asia Pacific. From there, Terato Tech has been able to launch into quite the journey. Bazil recently spoke to a Casual Connect Asia audience about Terato Tech’s challenges and victories with Darkness Fallen, a battle card game for mobile. Read on for background on Bazil and his outlook on the games industry.

Asia 2015Video Coverage

The Double Life of Juan Karlo Licudine | Casual Connect Video

September 6, 2015 — by Gamesauce Staff

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'Now, we are making sure to test as early as we possibly can.' – Juan Karlo LicudineClick To Tweet

In his lecture Dev by Day, Dev by Night, Juan Karlo Licudine explained how he’s managed to work full-time as a game developer and simultaneously work on his own indie projects at Accidental Rebel Games during his recent Casual Connect Asia speech. Find out how he struck a deal with his employer, what he learned about time management and whether he recommends the double workload in the video below. If you are thinking of going down this road, Juan has some great tips for you. He pushed himself very hard to get his game done as fast as possible. Looking back, he points out that, “People aren’t really going to care how long it took you to make the game. . . They are not going to care. [How long it took you] won’t matter at all.”

Asia 2015Video Coverage

Newton Grant: Driven to Help Others Achieve Their Objectives | Casual Connect Video

September 5, 2015 — by Gamesauce Staff

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'Hearing out the ideas of others and then layering the best ideas goes a long way…' – Newton GrantClick To Tweet

Newton Grant, VP and account director at Defy Media, examined the tastes and motivations of the 13-24-year-old demographic, including why YouTube personalities appeal to youth, among other trends at his Casual Connect Asia 2015 lecture. So why this age range? Newton explains, “Often times the research that had been done on this age block has treated 18-34-year-olds as a singular monolithic block and as we know the tastes of an 18 year old aren’t the same as the tastes of a 34 year-old but in addition to that, the tastes and interests of 13 to 17-year-olds were often ignored. So we wanted to return our research lens to that particular block and expanding it a little bit to 13 to 24-year-olds because we believe that is what will be driving the future of media consumption in the United States”. For a look at the data and insights, taken from the latest Acumen Report by Defy, see the video below.

Asia 2015Video Coverage

Henrik Johansson & Mediocre Stick to Small-Studio Atmosphere | Casual Connect Video

September 5, 2015 — by Steve Kent

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'What I enjoy most is to be able to create freely.' – Henrik Johansson, indie game devClick To Tweet

Henrik Johansson, co-founder of Mediocre, took a look back at five years of game development and shared what his studio has learned in his recent speech at Casual Connect Asia. “I love the creative freedom of working in a small studio,” he says. “We can just work on the ideas we believe in.” For his insights on design and the development process through games like Smash Hit and Does Not Commute, see the video below.

Asia 2015Video Coverage

Joe McGinn: Giving Back Through Teaching | Casual Connect Video

September 4, 2015 — by Catherine Quinton

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'If I can help (students) first survive and then prosper, nothing feels better.' – Joe McGinnClick To Tweet

At the Casual Connect Asia conference, four game developers and educators were a part of a panel called But You Try and Tell the Young People Today That… and They Won’t Believe Ya. The panelists reminisced about what works, and what doesn’t from a decade of teaching students the Art and Science of Game Development. In speaking of his students at Digipen, Joe McGinn admits that he is “a little jealous of them. I wish there had been a program like this when I went to computer science I was learning how to program myself in my spare time on my Commodor 64 at home. When I became a game designer, I’ll be honest, I didn’t know what I was doing.” The students have a great opportunity to really get immersed in the industry and learn.

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