Over the past decade, more than 10,000 young entrepreneurs, ages six to 18, have entered the Young Inventor Challenge hosted by the Chicago Toy and Game Fair, one of the largest consumer toy and game events. This past year’s winner, 13-year-old Analise Potsander, was recognized for her game concept, Pirates of the Spinning Sea. She won in the category of Most Creative Senior Winner for Best Game.

Analise shared her journey of how she got into game design. In 2018, her sister created a game for fun, and their mother discovered the Young Inventor Challenge. Analise and her siblings entered the competition, and Analise won that year. She has participated every year since.

Pirates of the Spinning Sea involves spinning a pirate to determine a starting point, then navigating around to collect gold coins while avoiding trap jaws. Analise wanted to incorporate a 3D element and a trap door into the game.

Currently, there are no plans to turn Pirates of the Spinning Sea into a commercially available game, but Analise remains hopeful that a game company might take interest. While game design is currently a hobby, she is open to the idea of pursuing it as a career.

Analise enjoys playing board games like Ticket to Ride and appreciates the value of creating memories through traditional games. She hinted at having ideas for a new game to enter into next year’s challenge.

Analise’s success story highlights her creativity and passion for game design. She looks forward to continuing her participation in the Young Inventor Challenge and potentially exploring a future in game development.