At Pocket Gamer Connects Vancouver 2016, Mike Inglehart, Creative Director at Hothead Games, gave a talk on how mobile game designers can stay ahead of the competition.

He pointed to three key areas for designers to look at - keeping a pulse on the market, thinking like a customer and the power of designed advertising.

Playing games is work

"If you're not taking the time to research what's out on the marketplace, you're actually not doing what we consider is your full job as a designer," said Inglehart, advising designers to find time to play games and read up on the market.

He also suggested that designers should take themselves out of the equation and instead focus on designing their games purely for the target audience.

"Making a great game is good, but understanding who you're making it for is much better," he said.

As for designed advertising, Inglehart talked up the power of rewarded video advertising. He pointed out that there are players who will continue to watch videos even after spending on IAPs and therefore continue to generate revenue.

You can see all our videos from Pocket Gamer Connects Vancouver 2016 in this YouTube Playlist.