Features

PG is 10: Alumni Revisited - Mike Rose

Mike shouts us through his days at PG

PG is 10: Alumni Revisited - Mike Rose
|

As part of our 10th anniversary celebration we've asked ten former key members of the PG team to share their memories and thoughts (and also their all-time Top 10). Let's dive in…

Who are you?
Hi, my name is Mike Rose. I'm super loud and shouty.

When did you work in the Pocket Gamer empire, and what did you do?
I was a Pocket Gamer intern during the summer of 2010, and subsequently became Handheld Editor at the start of 2011.

I covered the launches of the Nintendo 3DS and the PS Vita, and generally played a whole bunch of handheld games up until the end of 2013.

What are you up to nowadays?
I'm still doing a lot of shouting, but now I do it at publisher tinyBuild Games, where I also find games to sign, and work out all the stupid stuff we're doing to make people care about our games.

Our latest launches on mobile were Punch Club and Dungelot: Shattered Lands, the latter of which I was the producer on.

Do you have any fond/happy/mad/secret memories of your time on PG you'd like to share?
One of my favourite things I ever did at PG was the 3DS vs The Sun article. It involved me going out into town with a friend, and him taking pictures of me reading The Sun newspaper in a variety of terrible poses.

The article went viral shortly after going live, which meant that I got to spend the rest of the day feeling smug that I had basically just been successful out of acting like an idiot.

What key moments or developments stick out for you from the last 10 years of the mobile games industry?
The shift from paid to free-to-play. I remember playing games like Godfinger and We Rule and thinking, "Hey, this model ain't half bad".

Then a bunch of terrible people realised the awful potential of free-to-play, and mobile was never the same again.

Which was your favourite mobile gaming platform(s) or hardware?
I gotta be boring and say that the rise of the iPhone and the iPad has been amazing for games. A platform where anyone can sell a game to the world (as long as you have the cash to fork out for the annual license!).

Do you still play mobile games? What are you playing now and on what device?
Of coooourse. Right now I'm playing Twofold Inc and Subterfuge, both just so perfect for mobile.

Where do you see mobile games and the industry going in the next 10 years?
Oh Jesus, I'm not even going to hazard a guess. I don't even know where the industry will be in a year, let alone 10.

Anything else you'd like to add?
I'm still always right.


What's all this, then? The Pocket Gamer 10th anniversary is a month-long celebration of the last decade of mobile games running March 10th - April 10th and featuring a stream of retrospective articles and fun stuff, supported by our friends at Gram Games, Gamevil, JoyCity, Rovio, and Nordeus. Head over to the PG 10th anniversary homepage for more information.
Mike Rose
Mike Rose
An expert in the indie games scene, Mike comes to Pocket Gamer as our handheld gaming correspondent. He is the author of 250 Indie Games You Must Play.