When you think about learning to program, the odds are that the college classroom comes to mind before the playroom. But thanks to Dan Shapiro's board game Robot Turtles, teaching programming to kids isn't complicated – and it doesn't even require a computer.
A Mercer Island resident and tech industry vet, Shapiro created Robot Turtles to illustrate the basics of programming a computer to his young twins through a simple, fun method. With no reading required, the game shows kids, ages 3 to 8, basics such as debugging, and teaches broader skills like learning through trying out new ideas.
It turns out Shapiro is on to something: After raising more than $630,000, Robot Turtles has gone on to become the most-backed board game in the history of Kickstarter.
How did you come up with the idea for Robot Turtles?
First, I was thinking about what a programming language would look like that didn't have any text. What if you could program with shapes, images, gestures? That led me to reminiscing about Logo, a programming language I learned in computer camp as a kid, which features a turtle you move around the screen. Then, I thought, it's too bad I can't introduce my kids to Logo yet, since they can't read. And every programming language I know of requires you to read. And then I remembered that my wife was going to be out of town all weekend, and started thinking, what's something special I can do with the kids? Somehow those all rolled together in my head … and Robot Turtles was born.
How did you react when finding out that Robot Turtles is the most-backed board game in Kickstarter history?
I'd backed dozens of projects on Kickstarter, but this was my first time creating one. I was really worried about hitting my minimum ($25,000) and secretly hoping I might get to double or even triple that if things really went well. Then suddenly the project lit up and took on a life of its own. It was amazing! It's great to see something you've made become a success, but this was much more. This is a project I made with and for my family. It's very personal, and to see that other people loved it as much as we did was just wonderful.
Do you hope your own kids learn programming? How have they taken to the game?
It's been a family favorite since it was little scraps of paper. Now my kids love to teach their family and friends how to play! I hope my kids learn to program like I hope they learn science, math, literature and art. It's an essential skill to get the most out of life. I don't care if they take it up as a career, but whatever they decide they want to do, they'll be better equipped for it if they can code!
Copies are selling fast. Will more be released in the future, or are you sticking to a single run?
There are a few hundred copies of the 25,000 unit print run left. I'm definitely not doing another one! The experience was amazing, but I'm not cut out for the board game business long-term. I've had some really exciting conversations with other companies that are interested in licensing the game, though, so who knows.
