Fluency Games, LLC
Fluency Games, LLC is an independent software development house dedicated to making engaging, addictive games for kids of all ages to help improve their math abilities.
A former software engineer and a middle school teacher for over 10 years, Fluency Games founder Martin Esterman always used games and puzzles to enhance his teaching, including creating his own computer games– the latest was Addition Blocks, created over Christmas break in 2010. Originally designed to be a simple game to practice integers, negative numbers never made it into the game!
During the 2011-2012 school year, Addition Blocks was entered in the 2012 STEM National Video Game Design Challenge, sponsored by Joan Ganz Cooney Center, BrainPOP, E-Line Media, and Microsoft. In preparation for contest, graphics were updated, additional screens were added to include a help screen, an award system, and options for speed and difficulty.
In April of 2012, the Joan Ganz Cooney Center announced that Addition Blocks had won the Grand Prize for the PBS Kids Stream (1st/2nd grade), Educator Entry! Addition Blocks was headed to Washington DC! The following year, Addition Blocks was picked up by BrainPOP.
In 2013, a decision had to be made whether to continue working on and improving the game, and developing additional games, or let them be forgotten. Mr. Esterman decided to leave his teaching position at the end of the school year and devote his time to making engaging and educational games. In the spring of 2013, Addition Blocks was re-imagined through the work of The Creative Dove; that summer and fall Multiplication Blocks was developed and released in February 2014.