Have you ever felt that outdoor games needed a fresh twist? The inventors of Fish Fly did too. Their goal was to create something unique—fun for families, appealing to people of all ages, and unlike anything currently on the market. They found their spark in rethinking what makes a game exciting and unforgettable.
Development Journey: Can you walk us through the development process of Fish Fly? What were some of the biggest challenges you faced?
Finding something so unique and different and hadn’t been done before and was patentable. Our idea was for an outdoor game where players roll balls up a ramp that can be staked to the ground, sort of like Skee-Ball. The ground also serves as the target backing for the game.
Through many samples, and different materials, we discovered that the ramp thickness bar to help the ball get over it, ensuring smooth gameplay. 
Unique Features: What makes Fish Fly different from other Backyard games?
Fish Fly introduced an exciting twist to outdoor gaming by combining physics and fun! Here are the standout features that set it apart:
- Roll & Aim Adventure Game: Players must calculate the speed and distance needed to roll balls up the ramp with just the right momentum, aiming for them to land perfectly in to the “Fish Scoring Nets”
- Grass or Sand Friendly Game: The game is designed to enjoy outdoor play, with rolling mechanics that account for unpredictable effects of grass, sand or terrain. This adds extra challenge and excitement!
- Flying Fish Appeal: The game ties in the fishing theme, with balls representing Flying Fish, ramp being a blue wave, and fishing nets as scoring rings.
Testing and Feedback: How did you test Fish Fly during development?
We actually tested it ourselves. We wanted to keep it private so we did not test it with the general public. We also found during testing that adding the material at the ramps’ top of the ramp made it easier for balls to clear the ramp and land into the nets. We made the gold ball roll last, worth double points, keeping players engaged and allowing exciting comeback wins.
Personal Favorites: Do you have a favorite moment or feature in Fish Fly? What part of the game are you most proud of?
I think our favorite moment is probably playing the prototype the first time we got it. It was cold in northern Utah so we drove about four hours South to St. George, Utah where we set it up in a park and had a blast playing it.
Probably the most proud moment came when our original prototype did not work well and we had to make changes to get it where we wanted it.
Advice for Aspiring Game Developers: What advice would you give to aspiring inventors to create their own game? Spend time in the creativity zone, think of something that truly is unique and different and that would be really fun for lots of people to play. After that, put the pen to the paper and start designing. Stick with it through improvements to your prototype until it’s done!
Inventors – Craig & Denice Allen – Newport Innovations
