Jade Raymond of Ubisoft Toronto claims that, while mobile games are not creative, they are still important because of what she calls “ambient gaming.”
At the recent Gamelab conference in Barcelona, Managing Director of Ubisoft Toronto Jade Raymond discussed a number of topics, from wearable technology to virtual reality, but spoke at length about the state of mobile games in the industry, according to Pocket Gamer.
She argued that much of the gaming industry’s future will be ushered in by mobile developers, despite the lack of creativity that seems to effect many of the games out there. “Mobile has attracted more people to gaming, but there hasn’t been such a creative boom,” she explained. “What passes for innovation on mobile is the recycling of 40 year old game design, with real world gambling and money stuck on top of it.”
She went on to describe what she calls “ambient gaming,” the type of gaming that no longer requires investing some time in front of a television or a computer but is instead integrated into our everyday lives. “These days […] I’m spending a lot more time on mobile games than I am on consoles. The form factor of mobile games is much more adapted to modern life. It fits our reality.”
“We’ve gone from a world of undivided attention, to a world of multi-tasking. Play has always been a way to practise real world skills, and in order to maximise our time here on earth we’re looking to be productive, and turn the mundane into entertainment.
“The world is becoming an even more connected and tightly integrated place. It’s normal now to be in constant communication with everyone you know, and I think we can make our real world environment playable.”
With the gamification of so many non-video-game products like corporate training and educational software, it only makes sense that mobile platforms are fast becoming the most popular gaming outlets on the market.
