PocketGamer.biz Week That Was: King's job app, Nintendo clones flood the Windows Store, and the psychology of free-to-play

Games as are changing almost daily, with each new evolution pushing the boundaries of what was once considered impossible.

When Allan Alcorn created Pong some 43 years ago, chances are good that he had no idea that his training exercise would eventually pave the way for pocketable games that allow players to spend hundreds of dollars on virtual goods, compete against other players from around the world, or even land a job at a multinational company.

But for better or worse, that's the direction where games are heading - and it's an amazing to think of what they'll accomplish in the months and years ahead as we continue to innovate with them.

Yet before we look at the future, we need to take a good look back at the past - or at least the past week that was.

• First off, we're excited to announce the first Pocket Gamer Connects conference to be held on January 21 on London's Southbank. This year's theme is "East Meets West".

• Shadows of the Damned director Massimo Guarini talks about his upcoming indie game Murasaki Baby - and why he's choosing to launch it as a Vita exclusive.
• Applifier's Oscar Clarke argues that the role of a story-driven narrative is still important in the world of games as a service.
• 148Apps's Carter Dotson says its time for the US mobile scene to get over its infatuation with San Francisco.
• And AdWays CEO Ken Asakura talks about how DeNA and GREE are struggling to overcome Gung Ho's 'PuzDra Shock' effect.

• After almost a decade on the web, the Scottish Games Network will now serve as Scotland's first games industry trade body.
• Want a job at King? A new app, King Challenge, turns the application process into a game. And no, you don't need to spend on IAPs to advance.
• Looking to help players get a hand on its games, Unity introduces support for iOS 7 controllers in its latest update.
• Ouya claims that it now has 25,000 registered developers in its fold, but is still shy with disclosing the number of systems sold.
• A spate of blatant Nintendo clones flooded Microsoft's Windows Store and charted in the top new apps for the week.
• ...but Microsoft says it's not responsible for cleaning them up.

• Square Enix unveiled a crowdfunding 'Collective' with Indiegogo that lets developers receive feedback, and rights to older Eidos IP, for prospective game pitches.
• While Amazon lifted the lid on the AppStore Developer Select program to help developers get HTML5 and native apps get noticed on its Appstore.
• Want to get discovered internationally? Follow our Five Simple Steps to translating your game into new languages.

• After acquiring Com2us, Gamevil's still looking to add more to its roster as it acquired studio Nine Wheels and invested in Everple and DBROS this week.
• Samsung's star child of the Galaxy S line Kevin Packingham has left the Korean tech giant without providing a reason for his departure.
• Chinese search giant Baidu appoints NetDragon founder Liu Dejian to its board of directors.

• Cyber-psychologist Berni Good argues that in-game avatar envy is a developer's best friend in the modern F2P model.
• Developer Andrew Lim believes all apps aimed at kids should be paid, and quips that selling free-to-play games at kids is akin to selling supermarket chickens for £2.
• Graham McAllister of Player Research gives developers three tips to help them 'know their players' and shore up their monetisation strategies.
• And Amazon's Daniel Winner contends that F2P success is measured by play count, not play length - so focus on keeping your players coming back.