The company is eyeing the games arena with the recent introduction of a series of short message service or SMS games.

"We wanted to introduce games as a way to move users from using simple person-to-person messaging to individual transactions via games and interactive activities," said Lilac B.L. Ong, head of the prepaid marketing consumer business division at Maxis Communications Bhd.

Headlining its intentions is MindPlay (www.activateyourlife.com.my), a series of SMS-based games for its subscribers.

MindPlay comprises three games, Chabomzie II, QuizWhiz and Brainteaser, scheduled to be released in stages.

To fuel more interest, Maxis will organise a MindPlay tournament, with cash rewards and prizes worth a total of about RM190,000.

According Ong, the games will continue even after the tournament has ended.
MindPlay is a new take on the traditional and simple multiple-choice and yes-or-no answer games, Ong told In.Tech.

She cited Chabomzie as an example. Developed by local games developer UnrealMind Interactive Sdn Bhd, it's a classic whodunit mystery game delivered via the SMS platform. Participants are required to explore the crime scene and gather evidence through various game command codes.

"With Chabomzie and its various levels, we're hoping to challenge the minds of our subscribers by providing more interactivity," she added.

The community
The games are open to all Maxis subscribers, but Ong said that MindPlay will be heavily marketed as a product of Hotlink, its prepaid service.

This was simply because the games are targeted at the youth segment, which are largely Hotlink users.

Ong promises even more goodies, but noted that before offering any service, a thorough understanding of consumers' needs was important.

Prior to launching MindPlay, Ong and her team decided to test run one of the games on a lower scale, with the first instalment of Chabomzie , Chabomzie I.

"We wanted our subscribers to practise and try using their phones to play games," she said.

Ong believes that education is still very important so that the idea of games are not misconstrued or associated with negative aspects like gambling.

"Games aren't always about gambling, they're entertainment and fun … it's exciting when we make it challenging," she said.

It was also important to keep users aware of new technology.

"If we don't do this, the gap will be too sudden," Ong said. "This gives us time to check out the reliability of new technologies as well."

While games are taking centrestage now, Ong assured Maxis users that its existing services such as SMS chat and downloadable ringtones will continue to be important to the services suite.

However, the company does not plan to bundle or package the games, nor reduce the present rate of 15 sen per SMS.

"We don't believe in dropping prices as a way to grow; it has not been our policy. We would rather enhance our services and provide greater value," Ong said.

She said the company is also putting in place the necessary technology to introduce Java games that can be played online or downloaded to mobile phones.