Snake inventor recieves recogniton — MobileMonday Global: Industry News

^{MEF award focuses on mobile entertainment} Snake inventor recieves recogniton

22 Jun 2005 at 10:51 GMT Timo Poropudas

The Mobile Entertainment Forum (MEF) announced the winners of its second annual Mobile Entertainment Awards on 15 June. Special recognition was awarded to Nokia’s Taneli Armanto.

The winners were judged by a panel of specialist journalists from across the mobile entertainment sector.

MEF Mobile Games Award 2005: Nokia N-Gage for ‘Pathway to Glory’, the graphic-rich war strategy game that looks set to have a profound impact on the future of mobile gaming.

MEF Mobile Music Award 2005: Vodafone, for its ‘Vodafone live!’ Full Track Music Download Service, a comprehensive music offering setting up mobile as the all-inclusive entertainment device of the future.

MEF Mobile Content Award 2005: Endemol UK with Victoria Real, for ‘Celebrity Big Brother 3’, the pioneering partnership which has engaged with viewers of the hit reality TV show and is maximizing the potential of mobile as an entertainment medium.

MEF Mobile Services Award 2005: Orange France for ‘Video Universe’, a dedicated mobile video and TV portal providing live and direct access to 39 terrestrial and cable channels.

MEF Innovation Award 2005: Vodafone and Twentieth Century Fox TV for ‘24: Conspiracy’, the combination of two mighty brands creating the first ever live-action drama produced exclusively for mobile, inspired by the worldwide hit television series, ‘24’.

“Last year’s winners reflected the achievements of some of the industry’s pioneering mobile entertainment companies. This year the awards salute some of the heavyweight entertainment and mobile brands who have clearly demonstrated a commitment to unlocking the potential of the mobile medium,” commented MEF Executive Director Rimma Perelmuter.

This year, the Board of MEF chose to acknowledge the talents and imagination of the Nokia design engineer who brought the game ‘Snake’ to the mobile phone. Taneli Armanto’s contribution proved ground-breaking and laid the foundations for the evolution of a multi-billion dollar mobile games industry.

“Every industry needs its heroes,” said MEF Chairman, Patrick Parodi.

“This award is about identifying an individual whose contribution has been pivotal and absolutely fundamental to the industry’s growth. Thanks to his pioneering efforts in mobile gaming Taneli is a worthy winner of this award.”Snake hit the global consciousness in 1997, when it was embedded on Nokia’s 6100 series of mobile phones.

“I felt that Snake was a natural fit with the mobile phone and the key to it being successful was a simple and user-friendly interface,” explains Taneli. “We knew we had a success on our hands, but we were totally overwhelmed by Snake’s immediate mass popularity,” he added.

Patrick Parodi emphasises the significance of the Special Recognition award:

“The aim is to build profile for the industry and celebrate vision and perseverance while applauding an individual who might otherwise be overlooked – it’s a way of rewarding a person rather than a corporation.”

“Taneli Armanto is a true pioneer with the ingenuity to devise a game both compelling and simple. He gave Snake a new lease of life and thanks to this game people began, for the first time, to use their mobile phone as an entertainment device,” says Parodi.

Taneli’s initiative lead to the establishment of a mobile games division at Nokia, and has helped fuel a multi-billion dollar industry. According to mobile games analyst, Informa Telecoms and Media, total global revenues from mobile games are forecast to increase from USD 2.6 billion in 2005 to USD 10 billion by 2010.