Meet Mike Reid, Creator of STUDTEGERY, an Educational Board Game

When Mike Reid is not working his theatre manager job, or TV/screenwriting (Pastor Greg - sitcom, Super Simple Science - TV science show, His Kids - kids talk show, BB's Bedtimes Stories with Monty - children's TV series), he is selling his educational board game STUDTEGERY. Learn more at http://www.studtegery.com, or check out STUDTEGERY on Teachers Pay Teachers.

1. How did you come up with the idea for STUDTEGERY?

During my time in college in the mid to late 80s, seldom did I go anywhere without a set of index cards with facts on them so I could study for my next test at a moment's notice. Also during that time, Trivial Pursuit became the most popular board game to sweep college campuses. When I started brainstorming the type of game I wanted to create, these two life experiences played a major contribution to the creation of STUDTEGERY.

2. What is the significance of the name of your game?

I wanted a name that represented what this board game does, which is to combine studying with strategy and makes studying fun. I remembered that Saturday Night Live skit where Will Ferrell's George W. Bush character used the made up word STRATEGERY and thought, "What if used the 'TEGERY' suffix in my game's name?" and the name STUDTEGERY was born. Furthermore, while the name still has most of "STUDYING" and a little bit of "STRATEGY" in it, well, most of the letters in "STRATEGY," it is fun to say. Go ahead and say it, STUDTEGERY.

3. Why do students--and teachers and parents!--like the game?

• Students like STUDTEGERY because it makes studying fun.
• Teachers like STUDTEGERY because it helps the struggling students review for tests more effectively than the ask and answer test review which the struggling students avoid partaking in for fear of being embarrassed if they answer incorrectly in front of their peers.
• Parents like STUDTEGERY because it is a fun way for them to be involved with their children's studies.

4. How can individual students adapt the game to suit what they need to study at a particular time?

The great thing about STUDTEGERY is from 3rd grade to graduate school, it works all subjects, classes, and courses as long as the student is studying for a multiple choice type test. While STUDTEGERY has no clue what you need to study, you and/or your teacher do. You and/or your teacher create the multiple choice test preparation questions/answers from your class lectures, notes, handouts, text books, etc, and you use those questions/answers for game play.

5. What was your process like in creating the game--from designing it to having it manufactured, and then marketing it?

The thought process with my design was to replicate a multiple choice test. Just like most multiple choice tests, I went with only black and white colors. The players' pieces and answer sticks were the letters "A," "B," "C," and "D."

As for getting STUDTEGERY manufactured, I went with a company called 521 Promo. I found their manufacturing prices to be very fair. I sent them the prototype I made from an old Trivial Pursuit game, and from there, we worked together on getting the graphics just right, then got the games manufactured and safety tested.

As for marketing STUDTEGERY, I am still riding the learning curve as I just launched the game. I first set up a website (www.studetegery.com) from which to sell STUDTEGERY. I have also made STUDTEGERY available for sale on Amazon.com and TeachersPayTeachers.com. Since my budget is extremely limited and school just started back, I am focusing on teachers, schools, PTA/PTOs, and homeschools in September and October, then onto parents and students for the Christmas season. Of course, I am working hard on getting distribution into brick and mortar retail stores.

Thanks, Mike!