Making Education More Fun with Sherry Martin
From a young age, Sherry Martin’s mind was constantly turning. How could he improve upon the games and activities he was doing? What would make them a better experience for everyone involved? Where are there areas to be more innovative?
That mindset has served him well in his professional life. Today, he heads Sheformar International to deliver educational and strategy-focused games to young folks and creatives.
Sherry chatted with Good People, Cool Things about his game What is the Sentence?, how to make something both fun and challenging, and what he has planned next. Note: This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
How did you get into the board game world?
As a child, I was always making things up. My mind was always in creative mode, whether it was experimenting with recipes, changing the rules in games our family played or thinking of new inventions. I didn't know then that I could take an idea to the market. I thought you had to be rich to make a product people would buy.
That thinking changed when I discovered that many inventors were not rich when they started. The event that motivated me to invent my game was the television show, The Rich and the Famous. I saw a woman who created games on that show. I realized that I had made up many games. It struck me that I could develop one and bring it to the market.
Why is it important for games to be educational as well as entertaining?
My mother, a schoolteacher, always told me that education was the key to success. In high school, I saw that many of my classmates struggled with language arts. Because of this, I decided to create a word game that is challenging yet simple to play and fun for all literacy levels. I also wanted a game that could enhance many areas of brain function.
Why a game? Science has shown that games can dramatically enhance and speed up learning. Dr. Karyn Purvis, founder of the Karyn Purvis Child Development Center at Texas Christian University, stated a few years ago, "Scientists have recently discovered that it takes about 400 repetitions to create a new synapse in the brain, unless you do it with play, in which case, it takes only 10-20 repetitions, with an average of 12!"
I wanted my game to improve literacy skills for black youth and compensate for some of the educational shortcomings in inner-city school systems like mine. It was important for my game to challenge players to think and respond quickly in a fun setting. Repetition is one of the main keys to developing skills so it is vital that an educational game be fun so that kids will want to play it again and again. The first game I developed, What is the Sentence?, is designed to fulfill all these requirements and more. It is often hilariously funny while keeping players of all ages engaged at the same time in a very creative, yet challenging sentence-forming activity.
What's your process for creating a fun game that people want to play?
Game creation and development is a long and involved process. After seeing that TV show, I stayed up all night creating my first game for the market. I asked myself what would be a popular game that everyone would want to play. I sat down and thought about what kind of game is not on the market. I looked at many games on the internet and then the idea for my game came to me. There was nothing like my game concept online.
Eventually, the creative phase involved making the game format, developing and testing the design, artwork, mock-up, rules and more. Once the basic game design was settled on, the production phase began.
What have you learned from using Indiegogo that could be helpful for others using the platform?
Indiegogo provides a financial platform that allows a company to showcase their products or services to groups of people who assist the company by pledging different amounts to the company’s campaign. For my company, this resource is especially significant in assisting me to raise capital for inventory and operating expenses.
When you examine the site, you see many successful campaigns from many different companies. If a company is having trouble raising capital, the platform serves as an alternative source that can assist a company to help meet the challenges of having enough financial resources to operate. I would recommend Indiegogo to start-ups as well as seasoned companies that may have had trouble raising the necessary capital all companies need to be successful.
Is there a trend or prediction in education that you're excited about?
Teachers and school districts are actively looking for ways to improve test scores. Games can provide that in many areas. I developed a curriculum for first through fifth grade which uses What is the Sentence? and is aligned with the National Language Arts Standards.
Another exciting trend in education is the homeschool movement. This is a well-established and growing market that is well suited to using games to enhance education. We have entered the market via conferences and have seen exciting results.
What’s next for you?
My current plans are to continue to develop my company and introduce new products that I have created. I am also looking to focus our marketing efforts on educational sources. Covid exposed many shortcomings that schools, especially elementary schools, were having with their instructional process. The lesson plans I created can assist in bridging the gap for instructors that will add an element of fun for their students as they learn from our lesson plans.
I plan on introducing competitions using my games on a national level, where students will be rewarded for being the most successful competitors in my game competitions. As my company grows, I plan to contribute to charities that focus on literacy. A little over a month ago I applied for a non-profit. When it is approved the non-profit will allow me to apply for grants as well as partner with corporations that have a focus on literacy as part of their mission statement.