DragonBox+ Wins Best Serious Game at the 9th International Mobile Gaming Awards

Oslo/Paris/San Francisco– April 8th, 2013 – DragonBox+ was awarded Best Serious Game at the 9th International Mobile Gaming Awards in connection with the 2013 Gamer Developers Conference in San Francisco.    Now, DragonBox is set for a full international launch.

 The prize was given by the IMGA and is the most prestigious international competition for mobile games.  The award gives DragonBox+ a USD 150.000 media budget which will be spent to promote DragonBox into new markets.    In San Francisco, WeWantToKnow also won the Common Sense Media’s ON award for achieving the highest level of learning potential in digital media and entertainment for kids.

 ”We are very happy and proud to win this prestigious prize”, says Jean-Baptiste Huynh, CEO and co-Founder of the Norwegian/French game based learning company WeWantToKnow.  ” This is a great encouragement for us to finish the other games we have on the drawing board.  DragonBox is just one example on how we think differently when it comes to learning”.

 Secretly teaches algebra

DragonBox does away with tedious equations and math quizzes, replacing them instead with a simple game involving cards and a magical box. The game evolves as players master the skills and concepts presented and players don’t even realize they are doing math. After one hour of playing DragonBox,  12-year-olds can tackle equations their parents struggle to solve.  

 More popular than Angry Birds in Norway

DragonBox was pre-launched in Norway to let schools, kids and parents test the game. Almost immediately, it rocketed to become the most purchased app in Apple's App Store in Norway, kicking more traditional games out of the top list.

 "Our aim has been to make a game that is as fun as 'Angry Birds', as fascinating as 'Cut the Rope', and as addictive as 'Temple Run', says Jean Baptiste Huynh, Co-founder and CEO of WeWantToKnow. "As the kids are playing, they begin to understand the simple concepts that underlie all equations. Having tested this with several hundred kids in the age of six to 18, this method has proved to work.  After one hour of playing the game, more than 30 % are able to solve equations, and after two hours of playing the game between 80 % are able to solve equations.”

Mr. Huynh continues: "I worked as math teacher for five years, and have seen how many young kids struggle with math. It's easy for students to lose motivation and give up. They become convinced that math is too difficult for them. With DragonBox, we want to change that and help kids believe in themselves and their own abilities."