Interfaces Montréal

Mobility and Ubiquity

Ollie Sykes

Creative Director, DC-Studios Montreal

Gaming on the Go – The Rise and Rise of the Handheld Console

With the advent of the “Next Generation” of home consoles, the major companies are focusing of sheer power, impressive visuals and expensive games / peripherals. But the real revolution in video games has been found with the tiny, unassuming Nintendo DS handheld. This unit has become a phenomenon across the world with 1 in 5 people who purchase the system being new to games. Many of the games have attracted women and older age groups, previously considered the “Holy Grail” of gaming demographics. So what is it about this system, and portable gaming in general that is becoming so popular? And how are DC Studios, as a small, local business, helping perpetuate the visions of portable gaming as well as develop “games without frontiers”.

Ollie has been part of the video games industry for almost 10 years. After graduating from a Film Degree he spent a short time working in the film industry before pursuing his passion for video games. His first job was working for Sony London as a Level Designer then moving to Ubisoft UK as Lead Designer, where over his 3 years there he eventually became Creative Director and ran the UK development studio. He has been working as Creative Director for DC Studios for over 4 years and has over 30 games to his name on many different formats from mobile phones to the PS2 and XBOX. He also teaches three games design and games culture courses at the National Animation and Design Center in Montreal.

Chicken Little: Ace in Action, published by Buena Vista Games