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About Us

Zygote Games is based in Western Massachusetts. Our mission is to produce high-quality, fun-to-play games that also educate players about scientific facts and concepts.

The company began with a simple observation. According to a study by a trio of British zoologists in Science magazine, by age 8, kids in developed countries can recognize more Pokemon animals than real ones. We want to change that by creating games which are fun and challenging, but which are also based on real science.

We did some market research and were startled by the low quality of most science and nature games. The majority of them were either Trivial Pursuit knockoffs teaching kids to memorize science trivia, or versions of traditional playing-card games like Old Maid or Go Fish with dinosaurs or wildebeests on the cards. In several cases, the "science facts" in the games were oversimplified or just plain wrong.

We aim to do better than that.

Our games are original and entertaining, and incorporate scientific principles into the actual rules of the game. In our first release, BONE WARS, the game simulates the process of creating a scientific hypothesis and testing it against new data. But that aside. . . you're having too much fun stealing bones, exposing hoaxes, and generally conniving and backstabbing!

People

Zygote Games was formed by the combination of three individuals (aka the gametes--a gamete is a haploid cell; they fuse together to form a zygote).

Diane A. Kelly, Science Director

Diane A. Kelly is Chief Science Officer of Zygote Games. Diane has a Ph.D. in Zoology from Duke University, and vets the scientific chops of our games. She wears many hats around the company, including production coordinator, art direction, background research and a bit of writing and editing.

James L. Cambias, Game Architect

James L. Cambias is Chief Game Architect at Zygote Games. Jim began writing games in 1990, and worked for Steve Jackson Games, HERO Games, Game Designers' Workshop, and Iron Crown Enterprises before joining Zygote Games. He is in charge of game development and editing, and coordinates our playtesting and demonstration teams.

Joseph Steig, Business Director

Joseph Steig is a CFO and advisor to entrepreneurial businesses and non-profits. More information and his blog can be found on his website.

Diane Martin , Design Director