Linky Blocks, the de-stressing game
An iPhone game designed to be colourful & tactile, and play like a digital fidget toy. It's perfect for calming stressed out children & adults!
This isn’t an official Kids OT game - this is a game I wrote to prove I could write a game. Then some Occupational Therapist got involved..
So it’s almost a Kids OT app.
What is it?
Linky Blocks is a game for iOS. It runs on iPhones, iPod Touch and iPad too. (iPad uses a stretched version of the iPhone screen)
It’s a block game - players link similar blocks together by dragging a line through them, they then burst and the blocks above fall into the hole they left.
If you’ve ever played games like Candy Crush, Farm Heroes or Bejeweled, you’ll know what to expect.
It’s visibly bright and colourful. When burst, the blocks above drop and bounce into place. There are special blocks, such as bombs, to add some variety.
The blocks also wriggle and squirm when pressed. It was written to be stimulating, and ‘feel’ nice.
There’s actually a simple physics system in the game - so it feels very tactile, but also just a little bit different every time.
Firstly, a disclaimer
Linky Blocks contains Ads!
I know, and I’m sorry! But I’d also prefer to be up front and honest!
This is one of my own apps. It’s not a Kids OT app, and it’s a game first and foremost - and a therapy tool second.
It’s also the first title I produced to dip a toe into the gaming industry; a difficult industry with some very big budget competitors. Linky Blocks would have to compete with much bigger, free, Ad supported titles - and I didn’t think players of those games would pay in advance for smaller, less polished indie titles.
Ads are kept minimal, and there is a purchase option to remove them in the game. (Most people don’t use that though, don’t tell anyone!)
When / Why was it made?
I’d applied for jobs in the games industry as a teenager, with no success. Life then happened and it had become something I had always regretted not doing. I had a ton of programming experience working for other companies, but no products of my own.
I’ve also signed more non-disclosure forms than I’ve eaten hot meals in my lifetime, so I couldn’t even hold a work conversation or tell people what I’d been working on
I remember having the discussion with Karen that I wanted to write a game. At the time we early had plans for Kids OT apps, so writing a game with some reusable pieces (we could potentially use for therapy apps) would be ideal.
My son was showing a mild interest in programming at the time. Being autistic and very academic, I thought it might be a good idea to introduce him to programming and hope he might soak the knowledge in. Programming is a great industry to be involved in, has many, many facets - and the pay scale can also be pretty good.
Programming also has a higher-than-average number of people on the spectrum in the industry, for many reasons. It suits a logical brain, caters to intorverts, and it’s a precise, almost repetitive nature which can be really appealing. I’ve met a lot of autistic people who work in software and some of them are quite literally the very best programmers I’ve ever met.
Anyway, I digress.
Once I’d described the game’s concept, the Occupational Therapist in Karen decided to come out and make some suggestions.
A LOT of suggestions!
“It would be great if the blocks were wriggly and squishy, like a fidget toy”
“It would be great if there was a relaxing mode that never ended. Stressed out kids could just play without a challenge until they’d calmed down”
“It would be great if you could swap the blocks out for some blocks that were more appealing for each child”
I put the items on my list and set off.
Anyway, after a programming session or two, it became apparent that I was going to be finishing the programming myself!
However, my son liked to play the prototype. We had built Karen’s wriggly, squishy blocks, and he absolutely loved the tactility of it - but didn’t enjoy the process of making it. I took this as a good sign!
The whole process took (on and off) around a month. I’ve since added a theme here and there, a new game mode etc. Small updates, but enough to keep it fresh.
So, what is it good for?
It’s a game, it’s supposed to be fun!
It’s a great way to relax and unwind after a busy day at school or work. It fully occupies the mind as you focus on cracking the levels, clearing the board, or just simply beating your last score or link length. In turn allowing some respite from the sensory, learning and social demands of school and work.
This isn’t just a kids game though - there are plenty adults playing Linky Blocks. We added achievements and leaderboards so you can challenge your friends.
This is the result of what happens when a programmer wants to write their first game, and an Occupational Therapist gets involved
For parents wanting a bit more for their children, Karen’s requested additions to Linky Blocks add the following benefits;
Stimulating a number of skills needed for day to day classroom tasks
matching
sequencing
planning
problem solving
colour / shape recognition
motor control
Providing tactile and auditory input to aid self regulation,
Lots of fun!
Vibrant colours, designs and characters for visual stimulation
Optional sound effects
Optional haptic feedback to feel the blocks being linked
Easy challenge levels - designed to be easy to pass, but have a bit more challenge for players who want to earn more stars. Some kids are happy to have passed a level, but others want to get the best score possible. Most importantly, we want players to relax when playing, not get worked up.
How much does it cost?
It’s free.
As above, the game is Ad supported but has an option to remove all Ads on the title screen. Ads are minimal!
Where can I find it?
It’s on the Apple App Store. Open the store on your iPhone and search for ‘Linky Blocks’ (or click this link on your iPhone for direct page access)
Feedback
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As with all of our apps, a review on the App Store does wonders for our visibility and makes our apps appear in searches and suggestions.
Thanks for reading!