126 games Submitted of 146 & 60 Approved of 146!!!

[James Gillmore from FaceySpacey. com]

Team, check our administration panel game submitted & approved counts:

http://snapplr.com/7e1h

We're very close to accomplishing our goal of completing all 146 games this September. We only have 3 unsubmitted series and 4 individual non-series games remaining (20 total). I'm very confident we'll get to 146 for submitted games this week, which is basically perfect timing. Things can get very stressful with such a serious end client like McGraw-Hill and these deadlines. However, because of how much you guys rallied to get your games in, we can sleep easy as we approach the "Approved" deadline, which is 2 weeks form now. 

So I just wanted to take the time to say how happy I am to work all of you guys, big brothers and developers and Jacques (our Product Manager head) and Matheus (the amazing developer that has been coding this sailing ship of a project management system as we use it). I think we have a rare combination of team work and productivity coming out of you guys, aided by our big brothers/sisters and this system. For real. 146 of these games in 3 months is a big accomplishment. For me, what excites me the most is not only that this system tracks everything and let's me feel "in the know" about what's going on, but that you guys all actually use it and seam very comfortable doing so. I'm not busy making the games like you guys are. I'm busy with Matheus making sure this system glues everything together. So it's very rewarding to see you guys put it to maximum use. 

I hope you guys all find working with us very smooth. If not for any reasons or if you have any ideas to improve this project management system (aka "C2 Production Platform") let me know, and Matheus and I will implement them.

FINAL THOUGHT:

Our custom-tailored project management system is a rare thing and what sets us apart from other development agencies/groups. I hope it fuels you work. Here's why: it's an indicator of how serious we are (Matheus and I work on it all day, every day) and the high likelihood that we will achieve our goal of getting these games done, and into the hands of thousands of young students. I've worked with a lot of development teams on a lot of projects, and often we did not achieve our goals. What I've found personally to be the most motivating factor is when other teams and aspects of the project are going successfully. It's very nice to know what you are building will actually be used and not end up in the garbage, which often happens when a project fails. It means your work is worth nothing. That will not happen with us. You guys are all affecting children's lives in their most formative years--what they're learning in these games is the foundation of learning for children. You guys don't see all the games we see. We, as admins, see the games from all developers rather than just your own games. But what we see is amazing--it's a lot of collaboration and very predictable results. We're watching over a 100 games move across the Status Distribution grid from Not Started Yet to Approved. It gives us a lot of confidence in your work and that we will achieve our goal. As I've mentioned before, we're launching our own tablet platform that will contain these games--a platform with game mechanics and points and virtual toys that kids buy as they progress through levels of the tablet app. This tablet app is being built in HTML5 as an extension of this production platform. The games you're building are directly plugged into this platform. By completing the games here, they will already exist in this tablet platform. In short, you guys are all contributing to something more than individual games. I'm not the first to say this sort of thing, but basically you're all contributing parts to a greater whole that is worth more than the sum of its parts. I think you will all enjoy seeing your games plugged into this platform. This is a very real thing. Something we won't fail at, and something we will do as quickly as you guys made the games. 

Everything we're doing here we're doing remarkably fast. That's another point I'd like to make. We are smoking here! It's very nice to see things come together so quickly. Waiting years to see the fruits of your labor sucks--but that's not happening here. If all goes well, we're gonna be doing a lot more things that will showcase & distribute your work/games. I can't wait to show you this tablet platform (about 2-4 more weeks). It will be rewarding to see your games in a real live context. That's all I have to say for now. Look forward to seeing your work put to great use, and thanks again for your amazing work!

-James

[Ben Ward]

I can't wait to see our games go live! My family and friends have been excited to see their familiar games being made brand-new for the new generation, especially when they want their children to play these products I'm putting together!

And I'm especially loving this management system. We're progressing and communicating unlike any other collaborative project I've seen! Keep up the great work, guys.

[tecbug]

I must admit that this management system is really polished and well done. I enjoy working on it. Good work :)

There could be an option in settings: "don't e-mail me my actions on the platform"

Rafal