Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki 2019 will take place on January 21st to 22nd. To give you a taste of what to expect, we'll regularly be publishing interviews with the speakers at the show.

For more details on PGC Helsinki and to book a ticket, head to the website here.

In today’s speaker spotlight, we caught up with Quicksave CEO and co-founder Elina Arponen ahead of her “Challenges of Games As A Business” session.

Elina became a serial entrepreneur when she co-founded Quicksave in the beginning of 2017. Elina's previous startup Tribe Studios was acquired by the chat app Palringo where Elina worked as Head of Chat Games.

Now Quicksave continues the journey of enriching communication through games.

PocketGamer.biz: Could you tell us a bit about the company?

Elina Arponen: We do HTML5-based games and game tech for messaging applications.

What does your role entail?

I take care of everything that helps the company run smoothly and lets the other team concentrate on game development. On the game development, I usually have the role of an executive producer overseeing timelines and budgets. Then there are also the times when I do QA and make coffee.

Why did you want to work in the games industry?

I've played games all my life and wanted to be part of creating this medium and creating memorable experiences for people.

What advice would you give to anyone looking to get into it?

Just start making games. So many tools and communities available for game creation that it's easier than ever to go ahead and do it. You'll start getting a portfolio and connections in the process that will help you to that first job.

What are your thoughts on the industry in the last 12 months?

The key change has been cross-platform thinking. Games are not made just for one hardware platform.

However, even with the industry always changing, there is also a feeling of anticipation for when technologies such as VR, blockchain and streaming will hit it big time. It could be that they never see a specific big bang moment but gradually seep into existence and being a core part of the games industry.

What major trends do you predict in the next 12 months?

The HTML5 based web view gaming will be a major trend, and this is already happening inside messaging and social media apps. However, it's also coming for other apps and OEM platforms that will start supporting HTML5 games.

How has the games industry changed since you first started?

I've been in the industry for about 15 years, and there's been plenty of new trends and changes. It has made the sector overall more varied.

A lot of the old-style platforms and models still exist in some form, and new ones have come to enrich the industry. There are now more audiences for games and more variety in games.

Which part of the Connects event are you most looking forward to and why?

I'm looking forward to the talks but also just to meet all the other professionals attending the event!