Part of the journey is the end - 12 hours left to back the Arcade Coder
over 4 years ago – Mon, Sep 30, 2019 at 03:35:45 AM

Hello wonderful people,

There are now only 12 hours left to back the Arcade Coder on Kickstarter!

What a journey this has been. We are overwhelmed with the response the Arcade Coder has received during the Kickstarter campaign. Thanks to all of you, the Arcade Coder will re-invent family game night and bring families together.

We can’t wait to see what games you will create using it! If there is one thing we can recommend for optimal play is to follow wherever your creativity leads you!

The Arcade Coder has won the Oppenheim Gold Toy Portfolio Award 2019

Understandably, we couldn’t wipe the grin from our faces when we received the news. The Arcade Coder was awarded the Oppenheim Gold Toy Portfolio Award 2019 for Tweens two days ago and it is such a great honor! Here’s their impression of it:

“We’ve seen a slew of coding toys this season and many of them involve robots that will appeal to younger techies. This is quite a departure. It’s a very straightforward light peg-like board and it’s played with an iOS app.

Kids start with the pre-made guided activities to learn their way around the board. They play several built-in games that will get them ready to go on and build their own original games. Arcade Coder makes a good parent-child activity with many opportunities  to connect with kids in playful but problem-solving ways.” 

Tttt… That’s all folks!

We’ll be back soon with more information on shipping and delivery. In the meantime, don’t forget to back the Arcade Coder while you still can!

The Tech Will Save Us Team

5 days left until the end of our Kickstarter!
over 4 years ago – Wed, Sep 25, 2019 at 05:20:39 AM

Part of the journey is the end. But, the end’s not here yet.

There are only 5 days left of our Kickstarter campaign and we are so humbled by all of your support in the past month. The love that Arcade Coder has received from kids to parents, to industry experts has been nothing if not awe-inspiring. So, thank you, everyone!

We are working hard to get the Arcade Coder ready to be delivered to your doors and we are happy to announce that everything is on track!

A Holistic Approach to STEAM Education

Here at Tech Will Save Us, we believe that the best way to go about STEAM education is a holistic approach to learning. That’s why we’ve integrated a bit of everything in our kits.

In celebration of our ethos, we’ve decided to add 4 new Reward Bundles for all the young creators and innovators to play and learn with this Christmas. The new reward bundles will come with both the iOS (Oct 2019) and Android (from Feb 2020) Games Studio apps - read below for how you change your pledge to include one of them.

Wearable Tech Bundle

The Creative Coder (originally called The Mover Kit) was our first-ever Kickstarter campaign and with your support, it was a smashing success.

The Creative Coder is a unique wearable device with a lot of applications and ways to make it fun and creative.

 It is designed to unleash kids’ creative minds through its versatility. The limits to what they can use the Creative Coder for are almost none.

Make a toothbrush trainer? Check. Lightsaber? Check. Wizard Staff? Check. Iron Man Costume? Check. Hot Potato? Check. Run for five minutes? The LED lights will flash blue! And SO much more.

We are currently offering the Creative Coder with a 25% discount as part of a limited edition bundle called the Wearable Tech Bundle (RRP £225.98).

What will I get with the Wearable Tech bundle?

• 1 x Arcade Coder
   
• 1 x Games Studio iOS App (from Oct 2019)
   
• 1 x Games Studio Android App (from Feb 2020)
   
• 1 x Carry Case
   
• 1 x Creative Coder
   
• TOTAL - £132 (41% Off RRP Bundle Price)

Creative Gamer Bundle

The original DIY Gamer Kit is a cool handheld gaming console based around the Arduino Uno. You can build it yourself and then learn to code following our easy step by step instructions. Even better? It comes with a bunch of retro games to get you going right away!

We are currently offering the DIY Gamer Kit as part of a limited time pledge called the Creative Coder Bundle (RRP £239.98).

What will you get with the Creative Gamer Bundle?

• 1 x Arcade Coder
   
• 1 x Games Studio iOS App (from Oct 2019)
   
• 1 x Games Studio Android App (from Feb 2020)
   
• 1 x Carry Case
   
• 1 x DIY Gamer Kit
   

TOTAL - £135 (Save 44% off bundle RRP)

Inventor Bundle - Create & Innovate with the Arcade Coder and BBC Micro:Master pack

The BBC Micro:bit is the perfect way to start kids coding and making. The Micro:bit gets them hands-on with hardware while also teaching problem-solving skills.

With the Micro:master pack, we’ve brought the complete Micro:bit experience into one. Build a robot, mod a school bag, or make a security lock for your door - the sky’s the limit!

What will I get with the Inventor Bundle?

• 1 x Arcade Coder
   
• 1 x Games Studio iOS App (from Oct 2019)
   
• 1 x Games Studio Android App (from Feb 2020)
   
• 1 x Arcade Coder Carry Case
   
• 1 x Micro:master pack (BBC micro:bit, Micro:bot, Micro:craft & Micro:mods kits)
   
•  TOTAL - £150 (35% Off RRP)
   

Master Coder Bundle

The bundle to end all bundles... The greatest of them all… The Master Coder Bundle is here!

This is a special one-time offer exclusive to Kickstarter. The Master Coder Bundle (£375 RRP) contains the full coding experience - from beginner to advanced.

You begin your journey with the Creative Coder, then learn about coding and games design with the Arcade Coder and DIY Gamer Kit finishing off with the Micro:Master pack for a deeper dive into the world of coding.

What will you get with the Master Coder bundle?

• 1 x Arcade Coder
   
• 1 x Games Studio iOS App (from Oct 2019)
   
• 1 x Games Studio Android App (from Feb 2020)
   
• 1 x Creative Coder Kit
   
• 1 x DIY Gamer Kit
   
• 1 x Micro:Master Pack
   
• TOTAL: £236 (37% OFF RRP)

If you’ve already pledged for the Arcade Coder and would like to take advantage of these offers, don’t worry! You can still do so by changing your pledge. Here's how you can easily do it:

Step 1:

Visit our project page here and click on the 'Manage your pledge' button that appears next to your pledge amount.

Step 2:

Select 'Change your pledge' on the following page.

Step 3:

From here, you'll be able to choose a new reward tier you'd like to pledge for (in this case your preferred bundle from the above) and your pledge amount will be updated automatically.

Updating your pledge if you’ve pledged for the Android bundles:

If you’ve previously pledged for the Android bundles and are considering increasing your pledge to accommodate one of the above rewards bundles, don’t worry! You will still get the Android app when it is released in February 2020 by downloading it from the Google Play Store.

So, to put it short, if you update your pledge from the Android pledges to one of the above, you will still get the Android app when it is released (February 2020) but will have the iOS app available for the initial release at the end of October 2019.

Have a great day,

The Tech Will Save Us Team

The Games Studio App Is Now Apple App Store Approved!
over 4 years ago – Mon, Sep 23, 2019 at 07:45:37 AM

Happy Monday, everyone!

We’ve been incredibly busy here at the Tech Will Save Us offices since our last update. We’ve been working on a lot of exciting stuff and made some great progress.

The Games Studio app is now Apple App Store approved!

The Games Studio app is officially approved for the Apple App Store! Our team has been working around the clock to finish the last polishes to the app. Some great new features have been added and are waiting for you to experience come October! 

 The Arcade - The home of your games is waiting.

The Arcade section is the home of all your games - regardless of whether they’re our ready-made versions or original creations you made in Sandbox mode.

Curated by Claire, your Games Manager, the Arcade is the place to go to if you want to quickly play one of your favourite games with the Arcade Coder.

In the beginning, there were 3…

Start with a game of Lights Out or Snake as soon as you get the Arcade Coder to your door. With these 3 ready-to-play games, family fun can start immediately! 

 Make them yours with the at a glance customisation options in the games’ individual information page. 

Are you ready to start making?

Robo, the Games Studio’s developer, is waiting for you in the Coding Editor lab.

The Coding Editor is where all the magic happens. With Robo’s help, kids can either follow step-by-step tutorials to create their own game animation, dice or maze game. 

 For the creatives in the room, don’t worry! Sandbox mode allows you to create your own games from scratch, from concept to execution. We’re so excited to see all the games that will be created with Sandbox mode. 

 Busy? Not a worry, you can save your game creation process in the My projects tab and come back to it whenever you have some more free time. 

 When you’ve finished your game you can publish it and play it either from the “Published Projects” section or go to the Arcade to access them from there.

Transmission incoming….

Robo: Don’t forget to tell them about creating the rules for their games!

Ah, right! We all know how important rules are for games. They set the objectives and tell you what you can or can’t do in order to finish/win the game. 

 At the end of a project, you can set your game’s rules in our digital Rule Book - this way, grandma won’t be able to cheat in the next round!

See what your kids are learning in the new and improved profile section of the app. 

Here kids will be able to store all their hard-earned medals and progress rewards.  

NEW Reward Available - Inventor Bundle with BBC micro:bit

Give kids the ideal entry to coding with the Inventor Bundle including the BBC micro:bit. We are currently offering the Micro:master pack for 25% Off when you pledge for the Arcade Coder. This is a special offer exclusive to Kickstarter. 

 Bringing making and coding together to get kids inventing with tech

The BBC micro:bit is the perfect way to start kids coding and making. The micro:bit gets them hands-on with hardware while also teaching problem-solving skills.

With the Micro:master pack, we’ve brought the complete micro:bit experience into one. Build a robot, mod a school bag, or make a security lock for your door - the sky’s the limit!

What will I get with the Inventor Bundle?

• 1 x Arcade Coder 
• 1 x Games Studio iOS App (from Oct 2019)
• 1 x Games Studio Android App (from Feb 2020) 
• 1 x Arcade Coder Carry Case 
• 1 x Micro:master pack (BBC micro:bit, Micro:bot, Micro:craft & Micro:mods kits)
   
• TOTAL - £150 (35% Off RRP)

If you’ve already pledged for the Arcade Coder and would like to take advantage of this offer, don’t worry! You can still do so by changing your pledge. Here's how you can easily do it:

Step 1:

Visit our project page here and click on the 'Manage your pledge' button that appears next to your pledge amount.

Step 2:

Select 'Change your pledge' on the following page.

Step 3:

From here, you'll be able to choose a new reward tier you'd like to pledge for (in this case the Inventor Bundle) and your pledge amount will be updated automatically.

Stretch Goal Update
over 4 years ago – Mon, Sep 16, 2019 at 09:58:07 AM

Hello wonderful people,

Over 400 of you have gotten together to bring the Arcade Coder to life! We can’t express how thankful we are in words.

With your help, we’ve been getting closer and closer to our stretch goal every single day.

Stretch Goal £75k – Unleash your child’s inner creator!

We said awesome in the update’s title, didn’t we?

If we reach £75k in funding, we will be able to provide kids with some seriously awesome materials to help them unleash their inner creator and make amazing games!

What are these awesome materials we hear you ask?

To begin with, we have the Designer’s Pad. This is every game designer’s best friend. With it, kids will be able to sketch out entire sequences for games before they apply them on the Games Studio app.

The Designer’s Pad comes in an A3 format and 100 copies.

Next is the Rule Maker’s Handbook. These are a series of 100, A5, empty templates fit for kids and families to fill out with their game rules and goals. No more cheating, grandma!

Both templates will also come in a digital PDF format. So, if your creativity gets ahead of you and you fill out all 100 copies you can always print out more!

You can help us hit our stretch goal target AND earn 10% cashback if you promote the project to your network. To do this, click here to join our Kickbooster Referral Campaign

Bright Coder Bundle

Speaking of awesome news… we have a brand-new reward tier! And this time it’s one of our all-time favorites.

The Creative Coder (originally called The Mover Kit) was our first-ever Kickstarter campaign and with your support, it was a smashing success. We were 258% funded and kids absolutely loved it!

It has so many applications and ways to make it fun and creative! Not to mention the learning and creative opportunities when it comes to building and coding the watch. And best of all, it’s not like any wearable!

After testing the Creative Coder with 300 kids across the UK, France, and Germany, we were convinced. This kit would unleash their entire creative potential.

Toothbrush trainer? Check. Lightsaber? Check. Wizard Staff? Check. Iron Man Costume? Check. Hot Potato? Check. Run for five minutes? The LED lights will flash blue! And SO much more.

We are currently offering the Creative Coder with a 25% discount as part of a limited edition package called the Bright Coder (RRP £225.98).

What will I get with the Bright Coder bundle?

• 1 x Arcade Coder
   
• 1 x Games Studio App
   
• 1 x Carry Case
   
• 1 x Creative Coder
   
• TOTAL - £132 (41% Off RRP Bundle Price)

If you’ve already pledged for the Arcade Coder and would like to take advantage of this offer, don’t worry! You can still do so by changing your pledge. Here's how you can easily do it:

Step 1:

Visit our project page here and click on the 'Manage your pledge' button that appears next to your pledge amount.

Step 2:

Select 'Change your pledge' on the following page.

Step 3:

From here, you'll be able to choose a new reward tier you'd like to pledge for (in this case the Bright Coder Bundle) and your pledge amount will be updated automatically.

The Arcade Coder is on track! Here's what we've been up to recently.
over 4 years ago – Mon, Sep 09, 2019 at 07:19:59 AM

Hello awesome Kickstarter supporters!

Thanks to YOU, wonderful, wonderful people we’ve reached our Kickstarter goal! Because of your support, the Arcade Coder will be delivered to your doors – in time for some Christmas morning family fun time! On that note, we have some good news for you.

Games Studio App Is on Track for October iOS Launch

Woohoo! Our Games Studio app is now in the last stages of preparation for its App Store launch in October. At the moment we are very busy testing and refining all final aspects of it to make sure we deliver the highest quality possible with the first version.

The Arcade Coder Is Now in Production *wild applause*

This update is just full of exciting news, isn’t it? The Arcade Coder’s components are ready to go, and the device is now officially in production. We've also made sure the Arcade Coder passed all the relevant Toy and Electrical Safety Tests in all key territories.

Here are some pictures we snapped during some of our safety certification tests:

There Are Only Two Days Left of Our Legacy Bundle Offer:

As part of our last update, we talked about how the idea for the Arcade Coder was born. And it all started with a little guy called the Gamer Kit. Our original DIY Gamer Kit is a cool handheld gaming console based around the Arduino Uno. You can build it yourself and then learn to code following our easy step by step instructions. Even better? It comes with a bunch of retro games to get you going right away!

We are currently offering the DIY Gamer Kit as part of a limited time pledge called the Legacy Bundle (RRP £239.98)

What will you get with the Legacy Bundle? 

• 1 x Arcade Coder
• 1 x Games Studio iOS App
• 1 x Carry Case
• 1 x DIY Gamer Kit
•  TOTAL - £135 (Save 44% off bundle RRP)  

If you’ve already pledged for the Arcade Coder and would like to take advantage of this offer, don’t worry! You can still do so by changing your pledge. Here's how you can easily do it: 

Step 1:

Visit our project page here and click on the 'Manage your pledge' button that appears next to your pledge amount.

Step 2:

Select 'Change your pledge' on the following page. 

Step 3:

From here, you'll be able to choose a new reward tier you'd like to pledge for (in this case the Legacy Bundle) and your pledge amount will be updated automatically. 

Here are some extra fun-facts about the Gamer Kit:

The DIY Gamer Kit is not only an awesome learning tool, but it’s also an iconic design object. It has been acquired by the Design Museum globally as part of their permanent collection. In addition, for the design geeks out there, the Gamer is also part of the Paolo Antonelli collection at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York along with the Makey Makey and Arduino and it has also been acquired by the Chicago art institute as part of their permanent collection.

Click on the banner below to find out more about the DIY Gamer Kit.