Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki 2019 will take place on October 1st to October 2nd. 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 this speaker spotlight we caught up with Rosemary Lokhorst. Lokhorst is a writerand technology entrepreneur. She is the producer of Shadow’s Edge, the multiple award-winning game that revolutionizes the way self-help content is delivered to young people. She harnesses the power of technology and entertainment for social change. She uses her 'techspertise' and vivid imagination to produce content that impacts lives through entertainment and gaming. She writes screenplays and blogs. She’s an investor and mentors young entrepreneurs.

At Pocket Gamer Connects Helsinki 2019 she'll be presenting a session called Leveling up to remission - A clinical study of playing toward your strength.

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

Rosemary Lokhorst: Our company focuses on creating tools for young people to build resilience when facing challenges. Our company has developed the multiple award-winning mobile game Shadow's Edge, which is focused on building emotional strength in young people. The game is a 3D adventure game and brings psychology and narrative therapy into an intriguing story to bring self-help content to players. The game started as for people with chronic illness only, but our experience has led us to encompass also depression, and any other tough situation a young person may go through and could use some life skills for. The company has also published a book that was very successful. We further run a blog for parents and professionals as well as a blog for young people.

What does your role entail?

I manage the team, am responsible for building and growing the organization and thus, also for product management with my team.

Why did you want to work in the games industry?

I love the potential that the industry has to offer.

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

Find a mentor in the industry. Be brave and try out things (after all, that is what gaming is about, experimenting).

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

I believe that over the next 12 months we will see much more focus on smaller studios. Also, AR and VR and 3D still are not as pervasive as they can be and will grow over the next 12 months. I hope that there will be more focus on serious games and alternative uses for gaming to raise awareness and bring serious topics to people's attention through gameplay.

How has the games industry changed since you first started?

I have seen a shift from big studios to more and more indie games becoming popular. Also, I see that companies unrelated to gaming are starting to see potential in gaming for solving business problems for them, which I think is very exciting.

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

The meetings and the social events around it - last year that's where I met very interesting people that have great potential for doing business with.