BERLIN and HAMBURG, February 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --
We have come a long way since Snake. The days of thumbs stabbing at their phones to
manipulate a cumbersome viper towards its supper. These days, you are more likely to be
grooming and taking a starry-eyed horse for a trot before leaving it in its custom-made
stable.
February 12 is the start of Casual Connect, the Casual Games Association's annual
Trade Fair in Hamburg. Germany Trade and Invest will be manning one of the event's control
pads and uploading gigabytes of information to visitors on the goings-on within Germany's
buzzing casual gaming industry.
"The rapid spread of smartphone devices in Germany is having a knock-on effect on the
demand for new games," said Julia Oentrich, Manager of Information and Communication
Technologies at Germany Trade and Invest.
Around 10.8 million mobile/smartphone games were sold in Germany in 2012, more than a
60% increase on 2011. More games and types of games are being sold, to more different
markets. More people are prepared to pay for better quality games as well, according to
the Federal Association for Information Technology, Telecommunications and New Media
(BITKOM).
All of which is illustrated, so to speak, by the popularity of games such as My Horse,
Jenga and Backbreaker Football which are based on Dynamic Motion Synthesis technology, a
hugely realistic animation program. The quality is extraordinary.
"In a market where more and more people are both better connected and more prepared to
part with money for better quality games - online or on a phone - Germany, with its
top-notch telecommunications network and industry clusters in Berlin and Hamburg, is a
good place to be right now," continued Oentrich.
Germany Trade & Invest is the foreign trade and inward investment promotion agency of
the Federal Republic of Germany. The organization advises foreign companies looking to
expand their business activities in the German market. It provides information on foreign
trade to German companies that seek to enter foreign markets.