Each year the Chicago Toy & Game Fair hosts and promotes the Young Inventor Challenge encouraging kids ages 6-18 to invent and present their original toy and game at the fair. This year’s competition reached a new high attracting over 150 young inventors from all over the world. The winners were singled out for their inventive game play as well as their attention getting displays. Want to know what it takes to create a winning game? Read on as Nick Metzler shares his winning game Squashed. Tune in next week for Junior Winners, Isabella Ray Miller & Simon Shifrin.

Nick Metzler, Two-time winner in the Senior Category
Age: 17
Name of Invention: Squashed
Object of the Game or Concept: Squash all other players to become the last one standing!
Number of Players: 3-4 | Age Range: 6-87

Nick with his winning game at the Young Inventor Challenge.

How does it feel to win the YIC Sr. Category two years in a row? I’m both honored and awed by this accomplishment. I decided when I won last year that it was my goal to win again.  To actually achieve this goal with the number of new participants in this year’s competition was incredibly exciting.

How did you prepare for this year’s challenge? First I considered what I learned last year as a participant in the competition and as an attendee at ChiTAG. Last year I learned that the games which drew the most attention were those that were based on both strategy and luck, allowed players within several age groups to play together and those whose artistry caught the eyes of the potential players.  Then I considered my personal goal of making games that incorporated a twist or two into simple, but fun games. I dreamt up the idea of a cubical “game board” to change the concept of a flat board.  Thinking about a cubical game led me to consider my options of incorporating all sides of the cube within the game itself. Determining the actual object of the game and its rules actually came last.

I heard that your winning concept received interest from a prominent game company. Can you tell me about that? The day after the competition, I returned to ChiTAG as a volunteer for a few of the planned events.  While there, I was approached by the president of a prominent game company who presented me with the unbelievable offer to license my game, Squashed! He had played my game and apparently loved it enough to license it. My parents and I are currently working out the logistics, but if all goes as planned, my game could be in stores by next October! This is an opportunity I had always hoped for but did not know when or if it would happen.  I am thrilled that what I enjoy most in life could be an avenue I continue to explore in college and beyond.

Tell me about your invention. I have changed a lot since last year when my focus on winning led me to figure out how to make my game and display enticing to the viewer.  This year, while already having a handle on that component of the competition, I also finally had the internal desire to make a game that was fun for anyone who played it, not just a game that interested me.

Nick showing off his unique 6-sided game board design.

Inspiration: I was truly inspired by many of the individuals I met least year at ChiTAG. They were people living their dreams-not just people selling their wares.  I believe life is what you make it so why not make it fun.  I have watched adults in our society and learned that many are not doing what they truly love to do.  I am hoping that if I continue to trust myself, I will continue to live a life worth living and for me that means it has to involve having fun.  I have fun when I am creating all kinds of games, including board games.

Over the years I have studied the patterns found in games, starting with the rules and moving onto the concepts, construction and marketing of games.  I have studied human behavior and learned that sometimes games look more fun than they are to play.  I no longer wanted to win just to win, I wanted to make a game that was more fun to play than it was to make.  My unique talents of using patterns to create systems and recognizing how to change patterns to fit current interests-like having a game move faster, increasing the involvement of the game board, keeping the rules so simple that I don’t lose players by having too many details and combining luck and strategy to entice players with preference for one or the other.

My game is unique because it requires players to recognize the playing field is 6-sided, thinking must occur on several levels. Squashed is designed so that luck can trump any strategy, but strategy can minimize the need for luck…and isn’t that what life is like?  Playing games teach much about life.  I think my game was successful because not only was it fun, but I put much time and effort into my display board and my presentation.  I learned from the tips Mike Hirtle told the inventors last year, to be able to describe the game in 30 seconds and then to be able to show the most fun component right away.  I was able to implement these strategies while presenting this year.  This led all the viewers of my game to become the players of my game.

I believe this game was successful because it was a very different game board. One of the easiest ways to win is by flipping the cube, squashing multiple pawns at once. Flipping the cube has a two fold effect, squashing pawns as well as changing the way everyone looks at the board, giving advantages to other players who may have been losing just one turn before. I also believe it is successful because it is a quick and easy game to play. In the age of phone apps and instant entertainment, quick and easy is the only way to go.

I learned a lot about myself while developing my game, specifically I learned to manage my time, to recognize that I have more energy and skill than I thought, and to allow myself time to generate each component of the invention.  Besides this project, I was and still am involved in completing college applications, taking college-credit classes, working part-time as a balloonist/kids party manager, and leading a team of teen volunteers to coordinate a large scale interactive, all-day game competition for next summer.

Prototype Materials: My main material was sheet metal which I was able to purchase in 12×12 pieces on the Internet.  A helpful school staff member soldered them together for me.  I also purchased magnetic playing pieces and a single die numbered 1-3 on the internet.  I drew six checkerboard grids on poster board and used white tape to adhere the grids to each side of the cube.

Play-testing: I started with my chief testers-my family, and then expanded to extended family members and friends.  It was most rewarding to hear and see everyone’s excitement about the game as some of my previous games had mixed responses.  The greatest compliment was hearing, “Let’s play again!” at several different times and from players of different ages.  That’s when I knew I finally had a game with potential.

What’s next on the horizon for you? Have you chosen a college yet? Any idea what you plan to study?My main goal at the moment is to gain acceptance into Stanford University. If I am accepted, I plan to study a variety of subjects, a few being Entrepreneurship, Industrial Design, Marketing, Advertising, and Psychology.  I believe that having an academic background in all of these areas of study will provide me with a solid base from which to launch myself into the professional world of the game industry.  It’s my hope that a second win in the YIC as well as currently working on having my game licensed will be a couple of strong positive factors influencing my acceptance and future career.

You’ve spoken to school kids about game inventing. What message do you share with kids about your experience as a game designer?When I speak with school kids, I attempt to inspire them to believe in themselves and to use their imaginations to create new ideas.  Because children are often shielded from the pressures of society, I believe they could create new ideas by paying attention to whatever they imagine and dream about.  When I describe my experience in designing games I’m sure to include stories about my games that were successful as well as the ones that didn’t make it past my family play-testers.  In this way, I’m able to describe how much I learned not only from winning but also from my failures.

Shaun Cassidy

When I heard about The Strong National Museum of Play’s “America at Play” video contest, I began scrolling through my own memories of play wondering what stand out experience or toy would come to mind. Besides the crazy murder mystery dance party game involving Shaun Cassidy that my friends and I invented and would play over and over again at slumber parties, one toy came to mind— Dusty, The Action Fashion Doll.

Dusty The Tennis Champion up close and in action.

My parent’s gave me Dusty, The Tennis Champion Doll when I was 7 years old. I remember loving how her body moved as she swung the tennis racket. I loved her tennis shoes and the little daisies on her tennis outfit. She seemed pretty bad ass to me. I played tennis all the time as a kid. I had a subscription to Tennis magazine. Billie Jean King, Babe Didrikson Zaharias and Arthur Ashe were my heros. My dad was and still is a coach and we played tennis daily. Getting the Dusty doll from my parents signaled to me, albeit unconsciously, what they valued and hoped that I would nurture within myself—independence, determination and good sportsmanship. The killer tan favored by so many dolls of that decade just wasn’t in the cards for me—but the other stuff—that I could work on.

I’ve been thinking a lot about what parents are really giving their children when they hand them a toy. What messages are being sent? What values are being communicated? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Last night I set up camp in my dining room with a stack of books and old thumbnail sketches. I was ready to dig into some game ideas I’ve had kicking around for awhile.

I began diagramming my thoughts on paper when in walks my 9 year old son. As I begin to describe the game I am working on he looks up, smiles and says, “That gives me an idea!” Then he launches into detail about a new game idea of his own and off we go— wrapped up in our imaginations, sharing and working through our ideas.

I often think of myself as the game inventor in the family—but that’s not really true. My son has his own approach and works, or should I say, “plays” at quite a different pace generally bringing his games to an audience within 24 hours. Those of you in the toy & game business know this is quite an impressive turn around!

When he gets to spend his “media” time he works on creating games through an online site that allows kids to build 3D worlds and establish rules for play in that world. Every day he announces, I just made a new “place” and describes all of the intricacies of this new game world and what it takes to navigate it.

He doesn’t stop there. He invites people to play his new game and even creates web banners to promote it. The flexibility and immediacy in which he is able to get right into a new game, promote it and play it is something to be admired.

While I’ll probably still start my brainstorming with a scrap of paper and a pen, I’m reminded by my son what game inventing really is—pure “play”. Immediate, spontaneous and joyful play.

Ann Quackenbush play-testing games with young inventors in the classroom.

by Gina Manola,
Owner, CALICO

Ann Quackenbush is a founding member and upper elementary teacher at Next Generation Primary and Middle School, a private school in Champaign, Illinois. Prior to that she worked in Champaign public schools for several years as a fourth and fifth grade teacher.

Last fall, Ann attended a presentation that I gave on the Young Inventor Challenge (YIC) at the Urbana Free Public Library. The Young Inventor Challenge program offers kids ages 6-18 the opportunity to invent and present their original toy or game concept at the Chicago Toy & Game Fair held annually at Navy Pier in Chicago, Illinois.

After my presentation, Ann invited me to present the program to Next Generation School. The Young Inventor Challenge program includes step by step instructions on brainstroming activities, prototyping and play-testing ideas and is available as a free downloadable pdf. Teachers and parents are welcome to use the program with no expectation of having to present at the Fair.

Ann immediately saw how the program could benefit her students. She expressed that beyond the basics, students need opportunities to invent, collaborate and think in new ways. She saw the Young Inventor Challenge as an appealing way to engage kids in the creative inventing process.

After a successful pilot run of the program at NGS, I was eager to get her perspective as an educator and share her insights with others who might be considering including the Young Inventor Challenge in their school curriculum.

As an educator, what attracted you to the YIC?
I know kids love to play games, and I noticed that they often make up their own rules and modifications as they play. I felt that kids who didn’t like games, perhaps because they didn’t like the structure or the rules of particular games, might be inspired create their own. Finally, I had previously been involved with other after-school programs meant to challenge students as they worked on long-term projects, but I particularly liked the way that the YIC enabled the students to take ownership of every aspect of the process, from game design to creation to presentation.

What did you think the YIC program offered your students?
I think the YIC offered students the opportunity to bring their ideas to life. The ideas that students came up with were so varied, and it was wonderful to see them develop their projects. I think it was a very empowering experience.

Was it easy to integrate into the school? What kind of support did you offer students/parents?
Since this was our first year trying out the YIC, we decided to start small. We invited a local game designer, Gina Manola, to present to our student body. Then we set up “support group” meetings every other Saturday, so that any families of students who wished to participate could benefit from working with others going through the same process. We loosely structured the meetings, with each devoted to a step in the process (brainstorming, creating the prototype, testing, and creating the display) that would have them ready in time for the Toy and Game Fair. We held our meetings at school, so that students would have access to computers and materials needed for making their games/displays. We also introduced families to the Community Fabrication Lab, which some students used to create game materials.

How did your students (or school) respond to the YIC program?
Many students were very enthusiastic about creating their own game or toy, although not everyone who expressed interest completed the process. We had about 12 who attended one or all of the support meetings and 3 who presented their designs at the Toy and Game Fair. Having a game designer come and talk to the students exposed them to what that experience may be like —and fostered a sense of possibility in becoming game designers themselves. We would like to integrate the experience of the YIC into our science curriculum so that more students can benefit from the process.

Do you have any advice for other schools or teachers that are considering offering it to their students?
I would suggest that students work on their game with a friend. Our participating students worked individually, and most feedback was given by parents (myself included, as my 9 year-old daughter participated), and sometimes I felt the tension of wanting to change my child’s idea to make it something that I felt would work better. I think having a partner to bounce ideas off of would give students the opportunity to work out some of these ideas with each other without so much adult intervention being required. Basically, I think it’s a lot for a young child working alone to design and create a game, so they need help from someone. I think it would be preferable to have a peer helping them rather than an adult who may take too much control over the process. In addition, the day that they present the game can be pretty exhausting, and it would be great to have a friend to offer support in sharing their product with the public.

Do you have any feedback as to how the YIC program can be improved?
I was impressed with the number of people who visited the YIC area and the way they listened so patiently and offered great feedback to the participants. It was quite a long day for students, so perhaps breaking up the day into presentation time for the younger and older participants would allow them some time to enjoy the other attractions at the Fair.

For information on how you can get involved in the Young Inventor Challenge, email gina@calico-kids.com