Symtiles™ was created for a number of reasons, but most importantly because of my children. Like many families, they had easy access to television - both terrestrial and on-demand - as well as a variety of games consoles, video channels and online games. Too often, when exposed to unregulated content, they gravitated towards games that offered little positive benefit to their behaviour, focus, or learning.

I noticed a clear and consistent difference when they engaged with well designed, educational games or programmes, the outcomes were noticeably better. This was evident when completing homework based tasks on school backed educational gamified digital platforms.

Having worked in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry for many years, I have seen first-hand the positive impact that science and health [education] can have on people’s lives. Drawing on my professional experience, my children’s schooling, the digital tools available to them and as a dad, I began exploring an idea that was simple in concept yet rich in challenge. Something that could bring [more] genuine educational value to screen time.

I built an initial prototype and shared it with my children. Shortly after returning to school following the summer holidays, one of them was in a science lesson when the teacher asked: “From the periodic table, what is the chemical symbol for lead?” Previously, my child had joked that periodic chemical symbols were easy, but this one, like others, was not quite so straightforward. Thanks to regular, flashcard-style practice, he was able to recall the correct answer with confidence. As well as begin to understand their basic usage.

Symtiles™ was born, and the rest, as they say, is history.

How many do you know? play today!