Pocket Gamer Connects Digital is back for 2021, set to bring together some of the finest voices in the games industry and beyond.

PGC Digital #5 takes place on February 8th - 12th. To give you a taste of what to expect, we'll regularly be publishing interviews with the speakers at the show.

The conference spans across five days and will feature a broad selection of tracks, talks and speakers, as well as various fringe events and the return of our meeting system. For more details on PGC Digital and to book a ticket, head to the website.

Today's spotlight is on Alyssa Kollgaard, senior producer at Akupara Games. Kollgard has worked in the games industry for over 10 years, at companies such as THQ, Dreamlords Digital and Insomniac Games. She's fulfilled a variety roles spanning from QA and production, to social media and community management. She'll be sharing her knowledge at PGC Digital #5 with a talk titled 'Marketing on a shoestring budget'.

Tell us a bit about your company?

Aylssa Kollgaard: Akupara Games is a Los Angeles-based collective of game industry veterans with extensive experience in developing games, alongside young rising stars of the field. Together, we temper experience with a forward-thinking vision, allowing us to be on the forefront of industry trends and opportunities while maintaining a strong respect for the history and process of getting games made.

We specialise in development using Unity, with a strong mix of GameMaker Studio, Unreal Engine 4, and even some light VR, AR, mobile and app development. We are experts in porting and developing across all current-gen consoles, and are poised to be part of the first wave of upcoming systems such as the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.

Akupara Games provides development support services for creatives looking to bring their visions to life, co-develops and co-finances projects we believe in, publishes award-winning indie titles from development teams across the world, and creates our own original IP. We tackle tough problems and aim high for the quality and scope expected of larger teams. With our multi-nominated and award-winning titles, we have proven ourselves as masters of making a lot out of a little. Our partners include Valve, Sony, Nintendo, Unity, Logitech, Playstation, Google, Microsoft, Apple, PlayFab, Huey Games, iam8bit, The Yetee, Limited Run, Materia Collective, and many more.

Additionally, we believe in an indie-for-indies attitude - the work we do is intended not only to elevate ourselves and our developers, but the status of indie games across the board. We foster a collaborative and friendly relationship with other developers, preferring to focus on sharing knowledge and resources rather than cutthroat competition.

What does your role entail?

I am senior producer on our publishing and porting projects, for our marketing and social media/community management team, and on our work for hire and original IP projects. Additionally, I work heavily in HR and biz dev including corporate branding and company culture. 

Why did you want to work in the games industry?

I have been a gamer since before I could walk - it was something I shared with my father and was passionate about through my entire school years.

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

Network! Attend game dev meetups, stream on Twitch, become a content creator, do game jams, take classes, write for websites, work on your own projects. Most of your jobs will come directly from referrals, and people in the industry recognise who the go-getters are. If you do your own thing and do it well, eventually people will take notice.

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

The last 12 months have been especially interesting for the games industry, considering the impact of COVID globally. Luckily, games were well equipped to migrate to a digital business model. We've had a lot more opportunities to showcase our games at digital events and get seen by more people for less cost, since travel isn't part of the equation.

Games have become more essential as entertainment and for mental health than ever, as it's one of the main ways people can still connect with friends and family while apart. We've seen a huge surge in multiplayer and party games to help alleviate the loneliness we currently have from being separated from our loved ones.

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

I anticipate that digital events will continue long past COVID. We've really spent this last year as an industry creating something special and impactful that I don't expect to go away, even as physical events reoccur. To some degree, physical events will likely decrease in their importance. We've also seen a lot more cross-collaboration between companies, all looking to share information, resources, audiences, tools and knowledge to ensure that the industry survives the current crisis - it has been great seeing all the charitable outreach, collaborative efforts and the push to be more inclusive to marginalised groups.

How has the games industry changed since you first started?

I work in production and began in QA, so one of the biggest changes for me personally has been the move away from Waterfall style project management to AGILE/Scrum. It's become a much more iterative and collaborative process. Indie has become a much bigger part of the overall discussion, and a lot more varied and interesting stories are being told. Additionally, through platforms like Youtube, Discord and Twitch, we are seeing a lot more players getting involved in the creative and marketing aspects of games, and we get to work more directly with the people who play our titles.

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

I'm looking forward to speaking and connecting with other industry professionals in the pursuit of knowledge!

Want more?

The full conference schedule is now live on the website. In the meantime, you can also check out our other track rundowns and coverage of previous Pocket Gamer Connects conferences ahead of the event itself.

Register for Pocket Gamer Connects Digital #5 today!