Finding Their Niche in Cellphone Games
Karina Simons became a cellphone game designer almost by default.
With just a few years of experience in game development, she was working at Fountainhead Entertainment when the company shifted its focus from making films using video game technology to creating games for cellphones.
As a result, the company’s only game designer left.
“A lot of people who come out of game schools want to make more elaborate PC games; he wasn’t too happy about making cellphone games,� she said.
Ms. Simons, a programmer at the time, was more than happy to do it. “I definitely see a career here,� she said.
After a slow start, cellphone games are getting a fresh look from companies that want to capitalize on the abundance of cellphones, now estimated at more than two billion worldwide.
Unlike games for personal computers, which can be found on store shelves, cellphone games are typically sold through the carrier. And in cellphone user menus, phone games are often placed among offerings like ring tones and can easily go unnoticed.
To counter that, Mr. Breslin said, companies are looking for ways to team with retailers to drive consumers to Internet sites where games can be bought.
Most cellphone game makers say that helping a game reach its market is one of the biggest challenges.
Photo by Mark Graham for The New York Times.
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