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ALPINE — Lily Brown is like most 13-year-olds. She enjoys camping, playing soccer and spending time with friends. What makes her unique is that she’s an award-winning inventor, and the game she co-created, Betcha Can't!, is now sold in every Target store in America.
The remarkable journey began a couple of years ago when Lily’s family was living in Chicago.
"Me and my best friend, Tait, were bored one day and decided we wanted to create a game," Lily recalled. "We’ve always loved challenging each other to see who could one-up the other. We gathered some scrap materials from around the house and went to work."
Lily and Tait began developing the game while in third grade and didn’t finish it until they were in fifth grade. During that time, Lily’s family moved to Utah. The distance presented challenges, but the two friends continued collaborating from afar. Lily’s father Scott describes this time as a "great lesson in group projects and co-developing ideas remotely."
When the game was complete, Lily and Tait decided to enter it in the Chicago Toy and Game Fair's Young Inventor Challenge. Lily had actually visited the fair with her parents a few years earlier and was inspired by the amazing creations she encountered.
The Young Inventor Challenge is open to kids ages 6-18. Each competitor must first design and prototype a game or toy. The next step is to create a pitch video for this product. At the fair, the competitors showcase their inventions to toy companies, industry professionals, and a panel of judges. On its website, the Chicago Toy and Game Fair describes this unique opportunity as "the only young inventor program that has sponsorship and mentoring participation from top toy and game manufacturers around the world."
Ultimately, the hundreds of entries are judged on elements such as "Most Marketable Concept," "Most Creative Concept," and "Best Presentation." The grand prize, which Lily and Tait claimed, provided $500 toward each girl’s college fund and a personal trip to the legendary design studio responsible for such products as Operation, Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robot, Lite Brite and Mouse Trap.
Best of all, taking top honors also meant that Lily and Tait’s game was eligible to be licensed by Pressman Toys and launched by Target. The two girls were able to participate in monthly calls with the manufacturer to discuss updates and give feedback. Lily says it was fascinating to get this glimpse behind the curtain of the game development process.
I kept going to the computer and hitting refresh to see if it was on Target’s website. When I finally saw it was live, I ran around the house screaming because I was so excited.
–Lily Brown, Betcha Can't! co-creator
Now, more than a year after Lily and Tait partnered with Pressman Toys, their game is finally complete. Target had the option to carry the game exclusively in their stores and, after seeing the final product, decided that Betcha Can't! was too good to pass up.
"I kinda knew when the game was going to come out, but not exactly," Lily said. "During the week that it was meant to launch, I kept going to the computer and hitting refresh to see if it was on Target’s website. When I finally saw it was live, I ran around the house screaming because I was so excited."
So what’s next for this young inventor? Lily says she already has an idea for her next game. But good luck getting any details. She’s keeping everything hush-hush and hoping to strike gold once again when the long and winding development process comes to an end.
