Malden, MA; 27, March 2015: Boston-based educational technology startup, SenseiX, announced today the launch of their free educational video game development platform, Thinksy. The platform is designed to open the multi billion dollar educational gaming market to independent developers. In doing so, the company hopes to see an increase in the number and quality of elementary math games.
CTO and co-founder, Duane Compton, believes that independent developers are key to the future of innovative learning games. “The current generation of indie game developers is the first to have grown up playing a lot of educational video games. They know more about crafting fun learning experiences than anybody.”
To drive adoption, the company focused on ease of use and built Thinksy to integrate seamlessly into the already popular game authoring tool, Unity. With just a few lines of code, the open source Thinksy plugin grants a developer’s game unlimited access to the company’s K to 2 Common Core aligned math curriculum, containing hundreds of thousands of questions.
Thinksy-enabled games and apps also automatically adapt to each player’s learning progress, allowing children to try new games or apps without losing their learning level. “The influence that videogames have on our children is immense,” said Wai Cheng, CEO and co-founder of SenseiX. “Ultimately, we are working to make sure that influence is as positive as possible.”
In addition to enabling developers and gamers, SenseiX is working to get parents more involved in their children’s learning and gaming. Currently, the company is developing subscription software that supplements all Thinksy-enabled games with a number of parent involvement features. Cheng explains, “it is this two-sided approach that enables us to offer our developer tools for free.” The company has already begun testing their parent software with afterschool programs and educational nonprofits in the Boston area.
To build excitement around Thinksy, the company is holding a month long online hackathon. The event opens Friday, March 27 and is open to anyone. Entry is free and there are over $1000 worth of prizes available to individuals or teams who build the most innovative and fun Thinksy games. For more information, visit: https://developer.thinksylearn.com
About Thinksy:
Founded in July of 2014 by veteran software developers Wai Cheng and Duane Compton, SenseiX’s mission is to build educational technology that combines the joys of gaming with the impact of an engaged parent.
For Media Contact:
Eric Anderson, Director of Marketing
Phone: +1 702.720.4263
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.thinksylearn.com
