Archive notice: This article was originally published on February 10, 2010. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
The Casual Games Association (CGA), the international trade organisation for casual games, is organising the world’s largest casual-games conference with Casual Connect Europe 2010. From February 10 to 12, 2010, Casual Connect Europe 2010 in Hamburg will offer all participants the latest casual-game topics and the experience of participating market leaders.
The Casual Games Association (CGA), the international trade organisation for casual games, is organising the world’s largest casual-games conference with Casual Connect Europe 2010. From February 10 to 12, 2010, Casual Connect Europe 2010 in Hamburg will offer all participants the latest casual-game topics and the experience of participating market leaders.
Suitability for the mass market and myriad distribution platforms – including the growing iPhone, Android and social-network markets – have enabled casual games to become the most successful sector of interactive entertainment. According to the recently published “National Gamer Survey 2009”, Germany in particular leads the field in casual games with 14.4 million players. Market researchers estimate the German casual market at 540 million euros in annual revenue, putting it ahead of the United Kingdom and France.
Casual games are designed so that anyone can play them anywhere. They are suitable for every type of consumer and can run on almost every gaming-capable platform, from computers and stationary and mobile games consoles to mobile phones and even interactive television. Alongside exponential growth, this mass-market suitability has also attracted consumers who had never previously regarded themselves as gamers. This comprehensive success is not the result of chance – it is based on the work of developers and publishers who regard games with the same passion as players themselves and devote a great deal of effort to supplying a large player base with high-quality products.
Speakers and presentations
The following speakers will participate in this year’s Casual Connect Europe 2010 in Hamburg:
• Nils-Holger Henning, CCO Bigpoint
• Rex Ng, CEO & Chairman, 6waves
• Randy Breen, CEO, Social Gaming Network
• David Rohrl, Executive Producer, Playdom
• John Vechey, Founder, PopCap Games
• Ben Titera, GM, RealNetworks
• Kai Bolik, CEO and Co-Founder, GameDuell
• Vincent Carrella, Director of Licensing, Shockwave.com (Nickelodeon)
• Helen Copnall, Microsoft
• Thorsten Kolisch, Managing Director, INTENIUM
• Simone Brunozzi, Amazon Web Services
• Robert Unsworth, VP, Digital Chocolate
• Barry O’Neill, President, Namco Bandai Networks
The presentations cover design, development, social gaming, consumer marketing, advertising and possible applications in mobile communications. Visitors can expect presentations including:
• Successful but still almost unknown social-game developers and the future of social games
• Mobile distribution models, app stores and cross-platform publishing
• The most successful casual-game titles
• Art production and the design of viral elements in games
• Integrating functioning virtual economies into their games
• Distribution and diversification strategies
Venue
Casual Connect Europe 2010 will once again take place at Congress Center Hamburg. Congress Center Hamburg offers modern facilities and is centrally located in Hamburg city centre by Dammtor station.
Further links:
- List of all presentation topics
