All 3 New 2022 Storyastic Games Win Mom's Choice Awards

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

ALL THREE NEW STORYASTIC GAMES WIN GOLD MOM’S CHOICE AWARDS®

ToyFest, Las Vegas, NV, February 27, 2023 – Families and friends are constantly glued to their screens. When they occasionally try to unplug and do activiities in the real world, they discover their interpersonal skills have waned and they find it hard to focus. Storyastic’s three new games are here to help.

Following up Storyastic’s multi-award winning hit, The Rank Game, which uses “the gamification of conversation” to help people “tech less and talk more,” the company this past fall released three entirely new “all-together” games, all three of which today were awarded the prestigious Gold Mom’s Choice Award® distinction.

DRAUL, BETCHA SWITCHUP, and SWIPE SWAP SWINDLE are the three exciting new Storyastic games created to promote interactivity and build relationships while strengthing math and critical thinking skills. All three games are part of Storyastic’s “all-together” games because they bring people together, but also because all the players play all-together at the same time, and nobody is “out” of a game until the game is over. This gameplay propels families and friends through productive social interaction.

Capturing the trend of “cooperative gameplay” or “collaborative gameplay,” but without losing the timeless tradition of competitive gameplay, all three new Storyastic games leverage the concept of “coopetition” to appeal to consumers’ innate competitive nature and sense of strategy, but also their underlying desire to be in community and accomplish good. Like “coopetition” in the business world, during gameplay players must consider what is likely to happen if they don’t cooperate, then engage in cooperative behavior to have a better chance at winning than to be sure they will lose.

“Coopetition” is a portmanteau word (when multiple words are combined into a new word, such as “smoke” + “fog” = “smog”). “Coopetition” is defined as when companies or individuals interact with a partial congruence of interests. They choose to cooperate with each other to reach a higher value creation, as compared to the limited value they would be able to create independently without that interaction, but without overly compromising their otherwise competitive advantages. An example of “coopetition” in business are competitive companies Samsung supplying Apple with screens for iPhones.

Yale University states that “coopetition” is certain to grow in importance in the future of all industries. It will be an important strategy and skillset for this generation as they transition from today’s game players into tomorrow’s leaders in the business world. It is also an important concept to drive the future of the common good. One example being U2’s Bono shifting his social justice focus from charity to leveraging captitalism to accomplish social good (the “(RED)” movement), because it’s sustainable and leverages an individual’s innate selfish, competitive nature. Harvard Business Review states that rival companies and governments are working together more than ever before.

All three Storyastic games employ gameplay that “recycles” power from player to player, causing 7-8 lead changes in 10 round games, and often producing come-from-behind victories. Each game also features the element of surprise and chaos, forcing players to adjust their strategies and alliances with their opponents. In the game DRAUL, players can even win by having the worst hand in any given round.

“In the tradition of Monopoly, which gamify’s teaching capitalism and real estate, we sought to create gameplay where kids and grownups who love games may not realize they’re employing business concepts while playing together,” said Chip Brown, co-founder of Storyastic and inventor of the three games. “People may not know or care that the DHL package they send or receive is actually carried by UPS, but the people playing these games are the future leaders of international business so why not gamify the skillsets that will prepare them for becoming productive members of society instead of wasting time doing innane activities of pointless games or shallow social media minutae?”

“But unlike Monopoly and other games,” added Storyastic co-founder Dana Brown, “in all three of our new games and in The Rank Game, everyone plays all together at the same time, and nobody is out of the game until the entire game is over. That intentional gameplay keeps people together in community.”

The Mom’s Choice Award® distinction is earned after a product is rigorously evaluated by consumers and parenting experts and gameplay experts around the world, and is recognized to uphold the highest standards of excellence. Mom’s Choice Awards® evaluates products and services created for children, families, and educators. The program is globally recognized for establishing the benchmark of excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. The evaluation process uses a proprietary methodology in which entries are scored on a number of elements including production quality, design, educational value, entertainment value, originality, appeal and cost.

“Our aim is to introduce families and educators to best-in-class products and services,” explains Dawn Matheson, Executive Director of the Mom’s Choice Awards®. “We are passionate about helping families grow emotionally, physically and spiritually. Parents and educators know that products and services bearing our seal of approval are high-quality, great value purchases. Our evaluation program is designed to incorporate the expertise of scientists, physicians and other specialists; but we also engage parents, children, educators, and caregivers because they are experts in knowing what is best for their families.”

DRAUL, Betcha Switchup, and Swipe Swap Swindle are each great for family game night or playing with friends, for ages 8+. All three games foster light-hearted human interaction while also developing interpersonal skills, math skills, and strategic, analytical thinking. Learn more and watch how to play videos at storyastic.com. About Chip and Dana Brown
Dana was a Lead Designer at Walt Disney Imagineering for two entirely new-concept parks: Disney’s California Adventure/Paradise Pier and TokyoDisneySeas/Mediterranean Harbor. This role included the responsibility of creating the interactive and magical experiences in-between the rides, in open spaces, restaurants and retail, where consumers spend most of their time. Chip has spent more than 25 years in the media and entertainment industry, including TV, film, internet, live theatre, radio, animation, music and publishing. He helped lead Disney’s Tony ® Award-winning The Lion King to become the largest financial opening in Broadway history. He was also SVP & Group Publisher at HarperCollins.

About Storyastic
Storyastic cultivates meaningful human connection in the age of tech and screentime through the creation of fun, interactive experiences and tools simple enough for everyone to play. Founded by Dana Brown, former Lead Designer at Walt Disney Imagineering and Chip Brown, former producer at Walt Disney Studios and publisher for HarperCollins, Storyastic is an imaginative toy, game, and entertainment company whose debut product is THE RANK GAME, named Favorite Pick at Toy Fair NY, the largest toy and game convention in the Western Hemisphere. It has since won multiple awards.

About Mom’s Choice Awards®
The Mom’s Choice Awards® recognizes excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An esteemed panel of evaluators includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, grandparents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors and scientists. We provide reliable unbiased evaluation free from any manufacturer/publisher association. Parents, educators, librarians and retailers rely on our evaluations when selecting quality materials and products for children and families. The MCA evaluation process uses a propriety methodology in which entries are scored on a number of elements including production quality, design, educational value, entertainment value, originality, appeal and cost.

CONTACT:   Chip Brown, (310) 497-7400, chip@storyastic.com

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