2020 Young Inventor Challenge Now Open to Kids Across the Country
2010 and 2011 winner Nick Metzler shares tips for young inventors looking to enter this year’s competition.
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Metzler’s tips for kids entering the challenge this year include
- Have your child think about what he likes in a game, what is fun for him to play. “Take the things they find most fun and smash them together with other things they find fun,” he says.
- “When you’re pitching a game or toy, find a way to be different,” he continues. “Do what it takes to be completely different than what everyone else is doing. [Make the game] uniquely them. Make something that is so uniquely “out there,” [judges] can’t help but watch the video.” Metzler knew all board games were square, so he made a circular one. He knew all games had a single rule, so he “made my game about cheating. There wasn’t any physicality in games, so I made mine physical.”
- Ask your family to play your game with you—and encourage your family to be honest about what they don’t like about the game. “Look for things that are bad, so you can keep improving those things,” Metzler says. “I think that’s a tough piece of advice to hear, but an important piece if you want to be in the invention space. It’s weird for a kid to hear that, but that’s how I grew as a kid, hearing that negative feedback.”
- Some questions to ask: “What do you hate about this product? What is the most difficult part of playing this game with me?”
For more information about the Young Inventor Challenge, visit its website. Chicago Toy & Game Week will be held on November 19-22, and kids can start submitting their pitch videos now through the Young Inventor portal. Some young inventors have gone on to have their games and toys sold at Target or Amazon—your young inventor could be next!