First There Was Scrabble, Then Came Words With Friends, Now Introducing...INversionGAMES
Available Exclusively At Kickstarter.com
MARYLAND, May 25, 2012 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- In the history of word games, none has been radically innovative as INversionGAMES, where any letter can be turned instantly into another! For beginners, this unique feature provides greater flexibility in finding or forming words. For advanced players, it provides greater opportunity to score more points. Each letter has an assigned value based on frequency distribution data.
This unique system of rotatable letters or "versaTILEtters" on tiles or cards can be used in a variety of word games, collectively called "INversionGAMES." The card games are exemplified by WORD WARS I.II.III now available only at Kickstarter.com.
BACKGROUND STORY You can help decide the ending of this true story that began more than a decade ago. It was started by Alvin, revived by Irene, and inspired by Jeremy Lin. Alvin designs puzzles and games as a hobby, typically mixing art, math and science in his creations. While playing Scrabble in December 1998, it became clear that while beginners get baffled, experts get bored. This challenging dilemma in game design led to his creation of the versaTILEtters.
After producing and playtesting prototypes, he sent a version of card games to Wizards of the Coast (WotC), which accepted idea submissions at that time. WotC owner Richard Garfield, PhD in combinatorial mathematics and inventor of Magic: The Gathering trading cards, emailed that "your game concept is very creative" and suitable for the "broader market." Unfortunately, WotC was shortly acquired by Hasbro, which sent a formal letter in May 2000 stating that it is their company policy not to accept "unsolicited external ideas." The project was thus abandoned as Alvin was kept busy by his growing family and career.
Fast forward to August 2011, when hurricane Irene battered the US east coast and caused flooding in Alvin's basement. Among the recovered boxes were those that contained prototypes and printed rules for his original games (then named Double Play games) including WORD WARS I.II.III. By this time he and his wife have two young children, who informally restarted the process of playtesting. They play dozens of different computer and mobile games and have learned to rate them on a scale that ranges from "finger game" to "brain game." They are Angry Birds fanatics, not used to playing with actual cards, but candidly confirmed that the INversionGAMES are really coooool.
Their nine-year-old daughter provided proof of concept when she defeated her dad in the game he invented! After several months the inevitable wish, of course, was for these games to be made into computer or mobile apps. Well, it so happens that Words With Friends game app owner Zynga has an office only 25 minutes away, and they just announced a partnership with Hasbro! The Zynga office receptionist kindly provided the email address of her boss, but the emails about potential collaboration that Alvin sent later did not elicit any response.
At that point it would have been easy to fold again, except for the inspiring news stories that emerged about a basketball player named Jeremy Lin. It turns out that he, too, was snubbed several times but kept striving until he finally got a chance to be a star in the NBA. So, with renewed vigor and family support, the decision was made to give this quest one more chance. Such a chance is what Kickstarter is now providing, for INversionGAMES to be available to everyone -- even without the big engines of Hasbro or Zynga.
INversionGAMES LLC is a family enterprise dedicated to counterbalance fun games that make fingers faster with fun games that make brains brighter.
Kickstarter is not only a crowdfunding source but also a great platform to introduce ideas that would otherwise remain undiscovered. http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/432403129/inversiongames-a-revolutionary-way-to-play-with-wo?ref=live
Watch the versaTILEtters in action in this 50-second YouTube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fi9o6nxWxfY&feature=relmfu
Media Contact: Babs Sanico, INversionGAMES LLC, 410-513-9555, play@INversionGAMES.com
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SOURCE INversionGAMES LLC
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