Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Irvine, Calif., Promoter Sets Cell-Phone Games in Motion

From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 07 Oct 2003 05:32:01 -0400

October 06, 2003 20:03

Irvine, Calif., Promoter Sets Cell-Phone Games in Motion

By Jim Finkle, The Orange County Register, Calif. 

Oct. 6--He left a job with "The Sopranos" without getting knocked 
off, survived the collapse of the dot.com bubble and ended up 
working for a hip company in Irvine. 

Boost Mobile, a prepaid cellular company majority-owned by Nextel, 
recruited Seth Cummings in January to help make customers more 
attached to their phones. So far, he's helped the wireless-service 
provider launch 150 downloadable games that cost $3 to $6 along with 
875 types of screen "wallpaper" and nearly 500 ring tones. 

Cummings, 33, grew up playing games like the handheld "Mattel 
Football" in the 1970s, then moved on to ones played on TV screens 
such as "Pong," "Space Invaders," and "Donkey Kong." He recently 
bought a Colecovision terminal and 50 titles on eBay, thinking they 
would be good contenders for wireless. 

He began his career with a job at one of the top Hollywood 
development agencies, where he helped select writers for "The 
Sopranos." In the final days of the dot.com boom, he and a friend 
came up with an idea for a Web site. The concept got him hired by 
Eyematic Interfaces, where he started developing products for 
wireless devices. Then he was offered a job by his current employer, 
Boost Mobile. 

We asked him to talk about the challenges he and Boost Mobile face: 

QUESTION: Cell-phone screens are so small and the keyboards so tiny 
that it's tough for some people to imagine playing games on them. 
How do you overcome those obstacles? 

ANSWER: Wireless games are time-hole fillers, designed to be played 
in three to eight minutes, using your thumb or a few fingers. While 
the game play is not as complex as console games, full-color 
screens, polyphonic sound and motion backgrounds make wireless games 
a fun and entertaining attraction that can be played virtually 
anywhere at anytime. 

We are also leveraging new technologies to boost the wireless-gaming 
experience for our customers. New phones will include 3D engines and 
multiple-thousand-color screens that allow for very high definition 
experiences. 

Wireless phones with built-in GPS chips will allow for multiplayer, 
location-based gaming. 

Q: Cell-phone gaming has yet to generate significant profits for 
U.S. carriers. Is that about to change? 

A: The first generation of data services, which was known as WAP 
(for Wireless Application Protocol), proved less successful because 
there was no infrastructure to bill for individual services and 
because the majority of revenue went to the carrier. So, there was 
no incentive for developers to invest in producing compelling 
content. 

That started to change first in Japan, after the wireless carrier 
NTT DoCoMo introduced an Internet delivery service with integrated 
billing capabilities known as iMode. iMode was launched under a 
business model where at least 80 percent of application revenue went 
to the developer and the rest went to the carrier. 

Economies of scale meant that this minority share of the application 
revenue contributed significantly to the carrier's bottom line. 
(That revenue model has been adopted by wireless carriers 
worldwide.) The next step was to develop compelling content. As a 
result, developing mobile games and content is extremely fun right 
now – especially at a youth-focused company like Boost. 

SETH CUMMINGS: 

Vitals: age 33, 6-feet-2, 195 pounds Hometown: Medway, Mass. 

College: BS in television production from Framingham State College 
Grad school: MBA and MS in television management from Boston 
University Marital status: Engaged to be married. 

Pets: He and his fiancée aspire to become miniature-schnauzer 
owners. 

Job history: 

--After graduate school, worked as television development associate 
at Brillstein-Gray Entertainment of Los Angeles, a Hollywood 
management and development company. Helped find writers for "The 
Sopranos" and other shows including "Politically Incorrect with Bill 
Maher" and "The Steve Harvey Show." 

--Development director at Eyematic of Los Angeles. 

Got the job after the company bought the idea for an entertainment 
Web site he helped develop called 24-7now.com. Helped create new 
multimedia products with wireless companies. 

--Currently senior manager of Internet and wireless for Boost Mobile 
of Irvine. 

http://www2.ocregister.com/

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