On the seventh day of Christmas, Pocket Gamer gave to me...
Seven swans a-frantically paddling from 2007 into 2008
No doubt fans of the season will spend the afternoon squeezing into white jumpsuits, layering on lip gloss and brushing up on the lyrics to Happy New Year – such is the fulcrum on which the last hours of 2007 will totter to a close.
For those of us heavy on cynicism yet light in the wardrobe department, however, it's time to consider the metaphor of the paddling swans, which look so regal above water while frantically legging it under the surface.
It's the mobile games industry, of course, which despite basking in big grins as the analysts continue to preach their 'jam tomorrow' gospel, also knows how difficult it is to generate meaningful profits despite the huge audience spread before it.
It's that frantic legging beneath the surface that remains key for the future, you see. Nothing like as glamorous as doing big licensing deals with major Hollywood studios or releasing bad versions of existing game brands, it's only the slow burn of putting together technical standards, haranguing the handset manufacturers and battling the operators that will eventually drag the mobile gaming sector into a similarly sustainable and profitable position as currently enjoyed by the console market.
So, let's all light the midnight flame (Zippo or Swan Vesta) and warble, "Who can say what we'll find. What lies waiting down the line." Indeed.
