Michael and Pang aren’t just game developers with Frogdice, they’re also parents to two young (10 and 7 years old) girls who are avid gamers themselves. We caught up with them to chat about how they manage gaming to reinforce it’s positive benefits for their family.

Michael Hartman from Frogdice Games is my guest this time for a great discussion about the match-3/tower defense hybrid Tower of Elements (available here), and the upcoming Dungeon of Elements.  We also spend time talking about the trials of indie development, how a company like Frogdice has survived since 1996 thanks to the amazing community surrounding games like Threshold, and why charity is so important to the team.  Frogdice Games has now become one of my favorite companies, and I think after you listen to this, they’ll become one of yours as well.

5 Across is an informal gathering of entrepreneurs, investors, and service providers from Lexington, KY. Each 5Across meeting will features presentations from local entrepreneurs who pitching their ideas to a panel of judges.

From the 5 Across web site for April 24, 2013:

Teams included:

Arial Boulware pitched her idea for a 24/7 workspace for students to study, print, nap, and more. The business has no official title yet, but a working title is Growing Ambitions

LaShana M. Harris pitched Babylocity, a new baby bottle designed to make it easier for parents to mix powdered baby formula on-the-go.

Brock Klein pitched Givr, a native donor-facing mobile payments application optimized for giving.

Jeff Garrison, Darrin Croucher, and Andrew Wright pitched iReport360, an internet, cloud-based communication system for the construction industry.

Cyrus Adkisson pitched hoozon.tv, which watches a local TV station, uses biometric facial recognition to look for reporters’ faces, then drives traffic to the station by automatically sharing the live stream via media personalities’ social media posts.

Babylocity took home the $500 prize for their innovative baby bottle. They will be given the opportunity to pitch at the 5 Across Finals in December as well the Lexington Venture Club in May. Babylocity also won the audience text vote.

The night’s excellent pitches and heavy turnout resulted in another great event for Lexington’s startup community. Congratulations to all of the teams who participated and we offer a special thanks to our sponsors and friends who help make 5 Across happen! Be sure not to miss 2013′s third meeting of 5 Across Wednesday June 26th where five teams will once again compete for the $500 prize.

How Frogdice Created a Gateway Game for Casual RPG Players

Thank you so much Amy and GameSkinny!

“There’s a really solid, really fun game in here and I think its really worth checking out.

Especially if you’re looking for a new twist on the tower defense or match 3 model. Now you have them together!

Go check it out on Frogdice’s web site and go have fun!”

Tower of Elements

So far WildTangent players seem to be really enjoying the game. It is selling well and receiving very positive fan response. An example of that:

Little Bear · 38 years old

This is an absolutely spectacular game. I have been playing it for hours and enjoyed it immediately. Some of my favorite things:

1) Unique take on match-3. There is a lot more gameplay depth here than your typical match-3 game.

2) Exciting! Fending off monsters from my tower gets very exciting and challenging at certain parts. And some of the boss battles are spectacular.

3) Cute graphics and relaxing music.

4) Performs great. I have played the game on my 4 year old netbook, my 2 year old PC, and my 6 year old laptop! The game ran great on all of them.

I can’t wait for more games from Frogdice. Thank you!

“It’s good fun. I suggest you go and have a look at it. Very simple. Very well styled. Got this whole fantasy thing down to a T. And I like all the unlocks and everything: really, really fleshed out game. So check it out!”

We will be in booth #785.

Stop by to play Tower of Elements (which is available now right on our website) or Dungeon of Elements which will launch later this Spring.

This was a really great and very detailed article about Tower of Elements in the Lexington Herald Leader:

Defend your tower from The Void in Frogdice’s newest release

So came the tale of how you must defend your tower from the onslaught of The Void army, a group that rose to prominence in Primordiax.

“Basically, The Void abhor existence,” Hartman said. “They are a power of nihilism, and they want the universe to cease to exist.”

So as The Void approach your tower, you must defend it by matching the runes inside. Each match sends out a powerful blast that can destroy enemies in its path.

Tower of Elements developer teams up with Stop Hunger Now to feed the hungry

I think one of the Polygon readers said it best:

“Downloaded demo: check

Played demo: check

Bought full game: check

Just realized I’ve been playing this game for almost 6 hours straight: check

I have no idea how much is left in this game, but I hope they make a sequel.

We need more developers willing to make different, original games like this. Taking established game mechanics and using them in totally different ways is a great way to make a game feel comfortable and approachable but still fresh and new.

Nice work!”   -Bellacasta

Thank you, Bellacasta!