SV teen creates word game
JACKSON TWP — Seneca Valley High School senior Abbey Valentine has created a new game to spicing up her family's game night.
And with a roll of the same dice, she also hopes to become a successful entrepreneur.
She said the game “Letter Together” was inspired by her younger cousins.
“I have a lot of little cousins and I would always make crafts for them to do just for fun,” Abbey said. “They all liked sitting down and doing it ... So I was thinking about how I could make a game they would enjoy playing.”
Abbey said the object of the game is for players to spell out a specific five-letter word. Players each get five individual letter cards that look like puzzle pieces and a word card that has their specific word.
With a roll of the dice, players add or discard letter cards. While one player is rolling, all the others can trade cards. Whoever, spells their word first yells “Letter Together” and rings a bell.
“It is just a fun time to play with your kids in a way they are learning from it, but it is also really fun,” Abbey said.
“Even if they are too young to know what the word says, they can match the letters together,” she said.
Abbey tested the game with her cousins, ages 3 to 8. For the 3-year-olds, parents can play and help them, she said.
“My uncle and aunt who played it with me are actually elementary school teachers and they were like, this would be a fun game to incorporate in their classroom as a fun way of learning at the same time,” Abbey said.
The game is geared for children, but adults have fun with it too, she said.
“They get pretty competitive with it,” Abbey said.
Abbey decided to show her game to graphic design teacher Steven Fortunato.
“It is addicting and it is very fast-paced,” Fortunato said. “It is nice, because it is adjustable to a younger crowd and an older crowd. I loved it.”
Abbey was ready to explore the business side of the game board.
Fortunato taught an internship program over the summer where high school students worked alongside startups companies in Pittsburgh, including AE Dreams.Fortunato put Abbey in contact with Alysia Finger from AE Dreams. The company invented a product called Turtle Mail.“AE Dreams is awesome. They have really just really taken her under their wing and showed her the process of being an entrepreneur,” Fortunato said.Abbey said Finger gave her advice on how to network the game. That advice also led to a redesign of the game.“She gave me a lot of good ideas,” Abbey said.Exploring her business opportunities, Abbey said she also attended the first Maker Faire Pittsburgh on Oct. 11. She talked to inventors at the fair about how they got started and grew.Abbey said she was interviewed by WQED-TV, which is making a documentary on young makers in Pittsburgh. The show will air in January.The public will get its chance to play Abbey's game and offer their feedback.She will participate in a Mini Maker Faire on Nov. 7 to 8 at the Cranberry Barnes & Noble bookstore.Fortunato said all of this is a great experience for her.“I am just happy for her and proud of her,” Fortunato said.In the future, Abbey plans to attend college to study animation and graphic design.Future plans for “Letter Together” could include having its own website or a place to produce the game professionally, she said.“If it gets to the point where I could have a big game company like Hasbro or Parker Brothers to develop it, but get money for coming up with it,” Abbey said.
