THE cofounder of a group giving boats that children ride to school is betting a numbers game could help them stay in school—or at least become Math wizards. Not so unlike his game development partner, “Water.”
“Water” is Admor Aloysious Aguilar, tapped by Yellow Boat of Hope (YBH) Foundation Inc. Cofounder Jay Michael O. Jaboneta in developing the mobile game “World of Numbers” (WoN).
WoN is a casual game downloadable at the App Store that helps develop mathematical acumen, mainly addition and subtraction.
“It’s a simple arithmetic game where your addition and subtraction skills are tested,” Jaboneta told the BusinessMirror. “And we believe it’s simply the best kind of its game there is. It’s a mobile game that combines the elements of mathematics and thumb speed.”
He explained that the game’s goal is to reduce the middle tile to zero every time.
“The best way to know how it works is by testing it,” Jaboneta said.
Aguilar and Jaboneta are currently promoting the game to math teachers.
“Our biggest challenge now is how to make the game self-sustainable; how to monetize the game,” Jaboneta said. “And we’re working on a few ideas on that.”
Adding
WoN began after Aguilar and Jaboneta met in early 2017 at the De La Salle University-College of Saint Benilde. The latter was a graduating student of Game Development and Design, while Jaboneta provided consultancy services to the school.
Over lunch, “we talked about the potential for Filipinos to create mobile games,” Jaboneta said. “We kept in touch and decided to collaborate on WoN after a few months of experimentation.”
Jaboneta, who turns 37 mid-September, credits his friend for the bulk of work that went to WoN’s development.
It was Water’s passion in game programming that transformed World of Numbers from a simple idea “that took on a life of its own,” he said. Jaboneta considers Aguilar as one of the “really talented Filipino programmers, game designers and developers our country has.”
“It was a no-brainer decision to work with him [Aguilar],” Jaboneta said. “I believe I was lucky that he was even willing to work with me.”
Formula
JABONETA, who also works for the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), said developing the game was not their biggest challenge.
It was developing the market, he explained.
The thirst for a wider audience prompted the duo to launch WoN. This was after their respective family members and friends who initially tested the game encouraged and supported their decision to finally release the game.
“Our biggest challenge then was making the decision to launch. Since this is more like a side project for the two of us, we were wondering when we would release it,” Jaboneta told the BusinessMirror. “Then we just eventually did and realized it [releasing the game] wasn’t so scary [after all].”
Out of gratitude, the pair included in the game’s credit menu the names of those who answered their survey form during the game development.
“It’s not the game that has given me memories—it’s the hundreds of users who initially tested our game and [are] still using it,” Jaboneta said. “It’s friends and family who are supporting us in this new endeavor who make the journey memorable.”
By also releasing WoN, they finally satisfied the curiosity of knowing which type of people would play the game.
One
JABONETA’S predilection in helping children study came to fruition eight years ago, when he co-founded the YBH Foundation.
We found out there are children who have to swim to school in Zamboanga City, he said.
They have to swim; some wade through water, Jaboneta added. “Or simply that the distance is far and that the boat will help them get to their school faster and safer.”
Since then, the YBH Foundation has donated close to 4,500 boats around the Philippines. From Zamboanga City, they have expanded to over 120 communities nationwide.
Three years later, in 2013, the group launched the Adopt-A-Fisherman program. The program replaced the boats of fishermen who lost theirs due to natural disasters.
According to Jaboneta, their group will continue its mission to get to every community where there is a child that needs a boat to get to school.
Seeing Jaboneta’s work with YBH, Aguilar asked him to help form a group called Water’s World.
“Water and I liked the idea that we seem to be both explorers out to conquer new seas or lands,” Jaboneta said. “Together, we set out to conquer new worlds in the fields of education, technology and gaming.”
He explained Water’s World plans to release other games that people can “explore and enjoy.”
“We simply hope that it will be enjoyed by those who use it,” Jaboneta told the BusinessMirror. “And that somehow the game made their day better.”