“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” — Albert Einstein

Building the Electronic Arts of Casual Gaming: PlayFirst CEO John Welch (Part 1)

Monday, July 30, 2007 | 10 comments

The Internet is changing the Content business dramatically, and in this story, we will explore the Casual Gaming industry through the eyes of entrepreneur John Welch, a gaming industry veteran, who hopes to build a brand as high impact as Electronic Arts in video gaming, through his venture PlayFirst. I met John a long time ago through the MIT alumni association, and his venture capitalist for PlayFirst is also a common friend of ours, Gus Tai, of Trinity Ventures, also an MIT alum. I promise though, that this will not be a MIT love fest.

SM: Please describe your personal background.

JW: I grew up in suburban Western Massachusetts, which offered a lot of space as compared to the Bay area. I was either running around outside or playing with LEGOs or video games. I loved to swim and ski on both water and snow. We lived in the halo of two world-class cities, Boston and New York. We never went to NYC when I was a kid, but loving the Red Sox and hating the Yankees was a way of life. The Red Sox 2004 World Series victory and the three Patriots Super Bowls were incredible for Massachusetts; we waited a long time to win at a sport we didn’t invent! (Basketball was invented a few miles from where I was born in Springfield, MA.)

My parents were huge proponents of education. Neither attended college, but they were at least as responsible for me getting into M.I.T. as I was. I liked school well enough, but I hated homework with a passion. Actual learning was fun, but anything I considered rote memorization or busywork really ticked me off. My dad would tell me that he didn’t care if I went to college, but he was going to make sure that I had my pick of them when the time came to decide. It would be my choice to go or not, but I had to get the grades to get in or I’d feel his wrath. Going to M.I.T. shaped the rest of my life, so I am very thankful my parents pushed me to achieve all I could.

I became an entrepreneur at an early age, not entirely by choice. I found out later that the amount of money I made mowing neighbors’ lawns barely covered my dad’s costs on the equipment and upkeep, but he wanted me to learn to make and value money. As I reflect, I realize he also wanted me to realize how hard it is to earn money directly versus via a more leveraged model – and for that you need education.

This segment is part 1 in a 10 part series Segment 2 →
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