MARCUS P.’s Post

Today Oasis announced they're back together and touring in 2025. Tickets go on sale Saturday at 9am BST. Those that know me know how Oasis impacted my early life, both the music and their personalities. Before the Definitely Maybe album was released, me and some friends drove to Cardiff in a couple of Land Rover Defender series 2's (we lived in farming country) to see this band who were becoming notorious as a rowdy and must see live rock band. In the pub that night, Liam jumped off stage and punched someone who kept throwing verbal abuse at him. Along with playing Rock n Roll star and Live forever, it was obvious to me that music had changed forever. And thank goodness.. as the music charts at that time were boring as hell, with the usual pop clones and rarely any decent guitar bands (except for Stone Roses, Blur and Charlatans etc. who rarely got in the top 40 at that time). In a funny kinda way, the top 40 music charts back then (1993/4) are much like the gaming charts / choices are now. Full of clones, and the same type of experiences with perhaps different art styles, yet mostly boring as hell. Gaming needs it's next GTA moment, that moment when gamers discover something that changes the industry forever, like Oasis did for music in 1994, and GTA for games in 1997. I hope it's coming, and I hope it's soon. Maybe I'll even be part of it, fingers crossed. #inspiration #motivation #whatinspiresme #videogameindustry

Who's had a LinkedIn profile roasting before? It's quite the read and may offend / upset the profile owner, so be warned, try at your own risk! You can roast your own and others' here: https://liroast.web.app/ Here's my profile roasted: Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you the crown jewel of LinkedIn profiles: Marcus P. The man who’s climbed his way up faster than a squirrel on energy drinks. Seriously, looking at his resume, you'd think the gaming industry was speedrunning his career. Oh, Marcus, I bet when you started coding as a little boy, you said, "One day, I'll write the longest, most self-congratulatory LinkedIn summary in existence." Mission accomplished, buddy! First, you’re at EA, pioneering such revolutionary ideas as "doing more with less." Yeah, Marcus, that's called having a small budget. Welcome to the real world. And then there’s your journey at Xbox. Contributing to iconic games like Fable, Forza, and Minecraft? Ah yes, making sure people can't see the dragons' wingsclip through walls is truly the stuff of legends. And let’s not forget Unity Technologies, where you went from dealing with gaming content to leading an internal studio. Bet your calendar invites were just thrilling. "Join us now as Marcus discusses the merging of engine and content," said no one ever. But what really stands out? You’re a husband and father who loves spending time with his family. Sure, Marcus, because we all know how game developers are renowned for their 9-to-5 work-life balance. Let's be real, your kids probably think of you as that guy who occasionally emerges from his cave of monitors and pizza boxes. On your weekends, you create content that emphasizes "effective living." Riiight—because nothing says "effective living" like spending hours bragging on LinkedIn. And hold up, you see the good in blockchain? Just admit it, Marcus, your crypto investments tanked, and now you're stuck riding the Blockchain Bandwagon Express, desperately trying to get your coins back from the abyss. Also, you’re an early investor in not one, but TWO companies. Look at Mr. Monopoly over here. Investing in bright young things at Dlala Studios and PlayTreks. Bet they'll remember you every time they need a new coffee machine. Marcus, you've got more “Started Year" and "End Year" entries than a soap opera’s plot twists. I'm surprised you haven’t listed "Ruler of the Universe" on there yet—you know, just to round things out. Bravo, sir. Your LinkedIn profile is the ultimate RPG quest—long-winded, filled with side missions, and ends with everyone yawning. If resumes were achievements, you'd have a platinum trophy by now. #linkedin

Reflecting on Gamescom last week, one thing really stood out - the gaming industry seems to be playing it safe more than ever, mirroring the cautious approach of the TV and movie industries. Instead of pushing boundaries, we're seeing a lot of the same old, especially in the hyper-casual mobile gaming space. No wonder UA is so tough... We hear a lot about the challenges of User Acquisition, yet if we're honest, the landscape has drastically evolved. Mobile content has never been this competitive, and users have become masters at quickly scrolling past content, making split-second decisions on what to engage with. The game has changed, and not everyone who designs and publishes games has adapted. We need to look beyond app stores, and tap into broader mobile trends. It's not about the Creator Economy, as some might argue - it's about mastering the Attention Economy. As Nietzsche wisely put it, "Ignore the past and you will lose an eye. Live in the past and you will lose both." We can let the past inform us, yet it's the future we need to create to truly succeed. If we keep cloning what's already out there, it's no surprise User Acquisition has become tougher than ever. It's about games that capture attention outside of app stores, and being where people spend their time, that's what we need more of. Even if you're game is innovative, it's your UA that needs to be different and break convention in order to succeed nowadays, as it's a focus on attention that will win on mobile for now. I hope you're working on products or games that break convention, as newer generations are appearing bored with what older generations are creating💡🎮 #GamingIndustry #Innovation #socialmedia #digitalmarketing #creativity

🚀 2 Key Trends from Gamescom 2024 you might like to Know🎮 1️⃣ Mobile Browser Gaming to Avoid App Store Fees: The shift continues—more developers are talking about moving to browser to bypass hefty app store take rates. While web shops for mobile games are not new, especially for big-ticket purchases ($500+), the conversation is moving to entire games being played in-browser or apps from non platform app stores. With advancements in mobile technology, browser based engines & WebGPU, along with modern player acquisition strategies through fans and communities on WhatsApp, Telegram, and Discord, the browser is becoming a more viable option. The appeal of sidestepping a 30% fee is hard to ignore and people are no longer as scared about not being a native platform app. 2️⃣ Revenue Growth Continues to be a Driving Force Gamescom visitors who don't work in the industry may be focused on gameplay, experience, characters, and stories, yet the industry is still primarily driven by sales and marketing, who are focused on something else: revenue. Conversations at Gamescom continue a long time trend where game teams seem to be working more to serve marketing and sales needs to drive revenue, rather than the other way around. As Tim O'Reilly aptly put it, “Money is like gasoline during a road trip. You don’t want to run out, but you’re not doing a tour of gas stations.” This focus on revenue growth over game experience highlights a need for the industry to rethink what drives sustainable success. As the last 18 months has shown, the industry is not recession proof, and the saturation of games designed to extract money from players is not the boom it once was. If you're at Gamescom I hope you're enjoying it, it's a great event. And if you're not here, then have no fear, I'll post some more info and trends that may or may not be obvious another time. Here's a nice pic of a view for those returning to town from the conference centre after a long day. #Gamescom2024 #GamingIndustry #GameDevelopment #RevenueGrowth #Innovation

This is one to watch - PGA Tour, gaming and blockchain. As Chris Dixon explains in his book 'Read, Write, Own', blockchain represents a significant shift towards a more open, equitable, and user-centric internet. It holds the promise of unlocking unprecedented levels of creativity, innovation, and economic opportunity by empowering us with true ownership and control over our digital lives. If you aren't sure about blockchain you can read more here, where Chris explains quite a bit from his book: https://lnkd.in/eN8VGqGt And follow the link below to the news release to read more about the PGA Tour game team up. #pgatour #videogames #blockchain #technology #innovation

All this talk on LinkedIn about working long hours and burnout suggests more people might benefit from building their own personal reputation and being hired for work based on results rather than time spent working. With AI's ease of access, speed of progress and ability to replace much of the work we're used to doing, I see a future where being employed in the traditional sense is something upcoming generations do less and less. The world of work might be having its biggest shake up since farming was taken over with mass production and machinery... Worrying or exciting? #AI #technology #innovation #Entrepreneurship #Careers

GROK 2.0 is ground breaking, however, as is now usual for Elon Musk, it's boundaries are debatable, and it will clearly be utilised for manipulation of people and places. My GROK 2.0 prompt for the photo of Trump and Harris was simple: "Make an image of Donald Trump hugging Kamala Harris" Grok made the image you can see here in seconds. Using the exact same prompt in ChatGPT 4o resulted in the text below: "I can't create an image of specific public figures like Donald Trump and Kamala Harris in a specific scenario. However, I can create a generalized image that suggests a situation similar to what you're asking for, but with generic or fictional characters. Would you like to proceed with that?" Worrying or exciting? #ai #technology #x #innovation