There’s just over a week to go until the leading b2b conference for the mobile games industry descends upon the West Coast for networking galore, insightful discussions and good times – the anticipation is building! We could not be happier to share with you some of the incredible speakers that will be joining us to share their wisdom and expertise at our upcoming Pocket Gamer Connects Seattle next month.
This May 9-10, we are welcoming hundreds of the game industry’s finest speakers to share their expertise with us on 16 diverse topic tracks covering the most pressing issues facing the industry today. You can view our stellar speaker line-up so far here to get an idea of the level of incredible talent that will be joining us in Seattle. The immense wisdom and insight that our talented speakers bring to our conference is a major part of what makes ours the number one b2b mobile gaming conference. To give you a sneak preview at what you can expect from our conference, we are spotlighting some of our most highly anticipated speakers to showcase the fantastic talent and top-tier businesses that will be sharing their insights with us next month.
We recently spotlighted Mohawk Games’ CEO Leyla Johnson. You can catch up on our speaker spotlights so far here.
Next up in our spotlight series is Desiree Dickerson. Desiree Dickerson is CEO and Co-Founder of THNDR, the most popular mobile gaming company built on Bitcoin’s Lightning Network. THNDR is gamifying the world with Bitcoin, offering world-class mobile games and Bitcoin tools for developers and businesses. Desiree served as VP of Business Operations at Lightning Labs after a career in management consulting. Desiree graduated from Georgetown (M.S.) and the University of Chicago (B.A.).
Join us at PG Connects Seattle on May 9-10 to hear Dickerson discuss how the free to win bitcoin gaming model can rebuild the meaning of and transfer of in-game value.
PocketGamer.biz: What’s the most important key performance indicator (KPI) for you - and why?
Desiree Dickerson: Retention. Our current portfolio largely consists of hypercasual games. Retention is typically low for these games and we are aiming to change that by building fun, engaging games and providing real-world rewards to players.
What company do you most admire in the mobile games world?
I most admire Tripledot Studios for their incredible focus on building a thriving business while also bringing world-class, fun games to market. While doing both is essential for any company's growth, the balance between the two can be tricky. Tripledot gets this balance right, which is evident in their success.
What’s your favourite ever mobile game?
Insaniquarium! Virtual pet simulators are some of my favorite mobile games. I love the concept of an aquarium ecosystem contained on your mobile device, similar to that same environment being contained in an actual fish tank. Add in alien invaders and you have me hooked.
What is the most overhyped trend from the last 12 months - and why?
NFTs and 'blockchain gaming'. And I say this as someone who is attempting to reintroduce real world value into gaming. NFTs and the concept of play2earn are valid and have garnered a significant amount of attention. However, they are veering very close to work2earn and only providing players with an additional job and speculative asset. Stripping games of the pure joy of play reduces these games to employers, and gamers to employees. This step away from gaming for fun is dangerous.
What was your first-ever mobile phone?
Pink Motorola Razer!
What was the fundamental appeal of the mobile games industry that brought you to it?
The rapid growth and accessibility of the mobile games industry intrigued me. I was initially shocked by how fast mobile gaming was growing compared to console and PC gaming. The idea of having a device that is affordable and allows you to play anywhere at any time makes it easy for new demographics and markets to game. I was inspired by how many players in mobile were from emerging markets and demographics typically underserved in gaming (for example, women and older age groups). I believe mobile makes it possible for everyone to game. Everyone deserves to have fun and escape in a good game. And mobile gaming is making that a reality!
Can people get in touch with you at the event? What sort of people would you like to connect with?
Yes, of course! I am looking to meet more people in the mobile gaming industry in general as I come from the bitcoin industry.
Meet the experts in-person
There’s no place like Pocket Gamer Connects Seattle to connect with incredible industry leaders like Desiree Dickerson. Don’t miss out on attending our West Coast conference – secure your seat now and get early access to our meeting platform to schedule all the meetings and see who all will be joining us in Seattle come May.
