Are you BOOKSMART?

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”

“Call me Ishmael.”

“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.”

“All children, except one, grow up.”

Can you name which famous books these are opening lines for?

Or better yet, if you heard the title of a book, would you be able to come up with the opening line?

That’s the premise of a new game just launched on Kickstarter that sounds really intriguing to us – BOOKSMART.

We had the chance to ask the designers more about the game and we’re happy to share their responses.

 

Q. Tell me a little bit about BOOKSMART and how you play.

BOOKSMART is a fun, guessing game that is both entertaining and educational. The purpose of the game is to bring together family and friends back into the living room to have some laughs and friendly (or not-so-friendly) competition.

It’s a simple card game, with a challenging objective!

Players compete to guess the first sentence of classic literature. Among the participating players, the chosen dealer picks a card. The dealer can be anyone in the group, or can rotate with each round. Cards have the title and author of a classic novel on them.

All players, excluding the dealer, guess the first sentence of the book presented, using only the information provided. Players hand over their guesses to the dealer who then shuffles and reads them aloud — making sure to include the actual opening sentence of the book as an option. Players know the actual answer has been read, but will need to correctly guess the right answer. Those who guess the real sentence get 2 points. And if your answer gets the most votes, you get 1 point. Players win by earning the most points.

Q. Where did the idea for BOOKSMART come from?

The game is actually a family tradition of Stampede Ventures’ CEO and Founder Greg Silverman. He and his family invented BOOKSMART during one of their family game nights. It all started when Greg’s mother, Ilana picked up a book off their shelf and said, “I bet you can’t guess the first sentence of this book!” The game quickly became a favorite at Stampede Ventures’ office, and we’re excited to finally be sharing the game with the world.

Q. Do people need to be familiar with all this literature to enjoy the game?

No!

You would think you’d have an advantage if you’re familiar with the literature, but we found it’s rare that people are able to guess the sentences correctly their first go around — even if they’re familiar with the title, author or premise. The highlight of the game then becomes crafting sentences that sound accurate, even if they’re entirely off-base.

The game also becomes more fun, and competitive, each time you play. We found that players begin to remember the length, or style, of sentences, but struggle with memorizing the entire answer word-for-word. Each time the game is played in a family’s living room, in an office, or among a group of friends, the answers tend to be closer and closer to the right ones, creating an even bigger sense of urgency among players to come out on top.

Q. Since the game is centered on actual literature, is there something you’ll hope people will learn along the way or an interest you’re hoping to spark?

We hope the game inspires users to keep reading, exploring, and expanding their imagination. BOOKSMART focuses on classic literature because the stories have transcended time. We see the influences of these tales in modern entertainment and as a content creation company we’re always promoting and empowering stories that start on the page.

BOOKSMART began as a family game night favorite, but we’re immensely proud of its educational component. The game offers players a way to learn well-known titles, famous authors, and larger-than-life premises in a roundabout way. It’s accessible for all age ranges, and can be a great resource for teachers, librarians, and educators to use.

Most importantly, we hope the experience is fun! Our goal for the game is to bring people together in a time when people are feeling isolated and severely struggling. We’re at our best when we’re together.

Q. Have you thought about doing a game based on classic children’s stories or books like Charlotte’s Web, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Giving Tree, or Green Eggs and Ham?

We’ve considered this!

For the first version of the game, we’re passionate about focusing on classic literature. This includes incredible titles like Alice in Wonderland, Anne of Green Gables, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. If we’re able to reach our Kickstarter goal, we’ll be making many more versions of the game.

Q. Do you have a favorite book and if so, what is it?

We encourage everyone to read our CEO Greg’s favorite book “THIS IS HOW IT ALWAYS IS”, by Laurie Frankel. Greg’s mother-in-law was an avid reader known for reading a book a day. THIS IS HOW IT ALWAYS IS was one of the last books she recommended to Greg before she passed away. The game BOOKSMART aims to celebrate the incredible power and passion reading can produce, and to highlight the essence of stories that are beloved by many.

Q. How can people get a copy of BOOKSMART?

BOOKSMART launched on Kickstarter on Thursday, June 18th. If you’d like to buy a copy of the game, or help us realize our goal, please click here. If you’re unable to offer any funds, we’d still love to hear from you.

 

Another upcoming game

Another game we’ve been watching on Kickstarter is a game out of Denmark called Partners. It’s already reached its funding goal and there are only a couple days left if you’re interested. Check it out too.