Mike and Bobby grew up on the same street in a suburb of Tacoma, WA. They were the youngest of the neighborhood kids who met up daily to play sports, ride bikes, or hangout on rainy days. Being younger challenged them to be more creative and driven to compete with the older kids. In the mid 80’s they got into video games. They generally played on rainy days, which there were many, while never losi
ng their love of outdoor activities. The boys found ways to add their own creative ideas to the games they played. Whether it was a video game, board game, or card game they tried to put their own spin on the game. They liked to create new rules to challenge themselves or even add a physical activity to the game. As they grew older their creativity grew as well. In 1995 as underclassmen in high school they were sitting around the kitchen table creating their own card games just for fun. They both loved math and the idea of a competitive math game intrigued them. Each boy started tossing out rules and in this moment of spontaneity SMAD was born. Unlike all the games they had crafted before something felt so visceral about this game. The game had sprung from the boys so quickly, naturally, and completely that they were compelled to write out an official set of rules immediately. Using an old Apple computer they typed out the rules and hand drew score cards. The original rules and score cards were kept tucked away in an envelope and placed inside a shoe box. The boys became adults moving onto other adventures, but they never forgot about the game they had created. Once a year or so they would get onto the subject of SMAD. They dreamed about making their game come to life. It was something they had not shared with many people. After 18 years they decided they had to try to make their dream game a reality in the form of an app. So the original rules and score cards were pulled out of the old dusty shoebox. Then in one year’s time their passion that had consumed half their life became a reality.
