NEWS RELEASE NOVEMBER 2001

 

Franke James, Co-creator, "Office-Politics" in Mobile Gaming interview

Digital 4Sight Interview on Mobile Gaming

DIGITAL 4SIGHT Moderator: David Ticoll
• Sven Halling, It's Alive, Sweden
• Dave Gutteridge, i-Chara, Japan
• Franke James, Nerdheaven Ltd, Canada



David Ticoll: Welcome to the fifth audio conference of Digital 4Sight's research program The Hypernet Revolution: Business Model Innovation in the Mobile Economy. I'm David Ticoll, Co-Founder and Chief Knowledge Officer of Digital 4Sight. Our topic today is mobile multi-user gaming, and we've drawn our guests from around the world for today's fascinating conversation. [Sven Halling, It's Alive, Sweden, Dave Gutteridge, i-Chara, Japan, and Franke James, Nerdheaven Ltd, Canada] I'm really looking forward to this one.

Excerpt:
David Ticoll:
And then from Toronto, we welcome Franke James, Creator of Office Politics, a multi-user multi-platform game aimed at anyone who relishes the dark dealings in the corporate rat race. In a way, Franke's game could be even more scary than a Botfighters shoot-em-up. That's based on my experience, at any rate!

Franke James: That's right. We are allowing people to backstab one another using SMS...

Office Politics is a convergence game. It's a showcase for new technology. You can play it on Web, wireless, and voice Web, and potentially digital TV in the future. The basic mission for each player is to unseat the CEO. You would do this through trading vices and virtues to climb to the top. Some of the basic actions are backstabbing and kissing-ass. It's very much a game about the battle between 'good and evil'. And it's an ethical game of how you climb to the top. And although you can climb faster on vices, it's fraught with perils.

We see it as being pervasive, persistent, and persuasive. It's pervasive because it can reach out, at any point in your life, whether you're traveling in the car, or you have your cell phone with you, or you're at home using your PC. It's persistent because of all of the different environments. And it's persuasive because it's a marketing vehicle as well as being a fun game. So from the advertisers' point-of-view, there's an opportunity to showcase their products and build demographic and psychographic profiles. It has a lot of overlap with what Dave Gutteridge was talking about. And we're getting a very strong response from potential sponsors who want to get in the game.....

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Digital 4Sight
Digital 4Sight is a strategy consulting firm and research center that works with clients to develop innovative business models for the digital economy. We have developed a global reputation for thought leadership through groundbreaking research and other initiatives. Digital 4Sight enables Global 2000 corporations and governments to continuously innovate the new business models and processes required for success in the digital economy. With headquarters in Toronto, Digital 4Sight has approximately 40 staff. Founded in 1994 to do syndicated research, the firm has expanded into strategic consultancy services in recent years. Founders Don Tapscott, David Ticoll and Alex Lowy have written several books focusing on the impact of technology on business, government and society. Further information is available at www.digital4sight.com.

Nerdheaven Ltd.
Nerdheaven Ltd. is a privately held company based in Toronto, Canada, founded by Franke James and William James of The James Gang. The company is developing OFFICE-POLITICS, which integrates multi-player communication, entertainment, advertising, and market research capability across converging media including the web, wireless, voice, and television networks. OFFICE-POLITICS will be available for licensing around the world. Office-Politics sign up beta testers: www.officepolitics.com

The James Gang
The James Gang designs original games for the casual gamer market which integrate multi-player communication, entertainment, advertising, and market research capability across converging media including the web, wireless, voice, and television networks. We help our customers to increase revenues (SMS, WAP, the Web, voice, TV) and differentiate themselves against competitors. The games are available for licensing around the world. The James Gang Advertising Inc., is a privately held company based in Toronto, Canada, founded by Franke James and William James. For more information go to: www.jamesgang.com

For more information contact:
The James Gang
press@jamesgang.com
416.256.9166


Office-Politics is a registered trademark of Nerdheaven Ltd. Office-Politics © 2000-2001 Nerdheaven Ltd. All rights reserved. Nerdheaven TM