Jill Braff

Forget the Image of the Gamer as Teen Male Geek

Authored by Scott Goldberg on May 22, 2007 - 12:03pm.

From the Games & Mobile Forum: A pervasive theme between the first two keynoters at the Games & Mobile Forum, Jill Braff of Glu Mobile, and John Welch of PlayFirst: Gamers are Geeks No More. Each traced the evolution of games from ancient man to the genesis of the first mainstream console, the Atari. At some point, said Jill Braff, developers built games targeted to a hardcore audience, who returned the favor by purchasing those games and filling the pockets of manufacturers, leading to more hardcore game innovation. In essence a cul-de-sac, as she said, was formed. The “casual” gamer who valued the simplicity of the arcade, Donkey Kong, card games – ie, Casual Games – was forgotten. Game immersion, technological progress, and intense storylines became the focus.