He’s a gamer: Boise teacher recognized for invention

Eric Olsen has been teaching high school math in Idaho since 2011.

“Teaching is something that comes naturally to me,” Olsen said. “And I love working with students.”

But more recently Olsen discovered something else that comes naturally to him: creating games.

The first game he created, Glyphics, was released in 2022.

“I’ve played games my entire life. I love games — board games, dice games, any kind of game, love them,” Olsen said. “But I never thought about making a game. Glyphics came about as I was sitting around a messy kitchen table … and something clicked. It just unlocked a cascade of ideas that has probably been sitting in my head for 30 years.”

Olsen used a few random items on that kitchen table to create a picture. He then had his kids guess what he had made. And voila! A game was in the making, and Olsen had a new passion.

Glyphics was a surprising success, and found its way to Target’s shelves and other retail outlets.

Building on that success, and also the fact that Olsen had created other new games, he and a friend started a small business called Messy Table Games. Three games have been launched through Messy Table Games.

But another game that Olsen created — Flip 7 — drew the interest of Usaopoloy (or The Op), a larger game company. Using its marketing savvy and strong brand presence, The Op Games has turned Flip 7 into a real presence in the game world.

In early November, Flip 7 was named a finalist for the Game of the Year by the Toy Foundation. That nomination for the Toy of the Year (TOTY) pits Flip 7 against games from companies such as Mattel and Hasbro.

In the game world, Olsen said it was the equivalent of being nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture.

“It’s nice just to be nominated,” Olsen said. “It’s surreal. You don’t anticipate something like this happening.”

Olsen plans to attend Toy Fair 2025, which will take place in February in New York, where the winner will be announced.

Win or lose, Olsen said Flip 7 is already a success, and he thinks big things are still to come.

“It’s going to be in Canada and Europe,” he said. “It’s amazing how much this thing has blown up.”

Is it possible game fans could see it on the shelves of Target and Walmart in the next year?

“I sure hope that’s going to be the case,” he said. “I’d love to see it next to Uno.”

In the meantime, Olsen stays busy as a teacher and educator. In addition to teaching math at Idaho Technical Career Academy, Olsen has taken on the role of principal at the virtual school. He has also taught a few business calculus classes at Boise State as an adjunct professor.

When he has talked to students — whether at Boise State or his high school — about his experience in the game world he said the lesson is one of desire and perseverance.

“It wasn’t so much about the game as much as it was about having an idea and learning about it and following through,” Olsen said. “I didn’t really know anything, but I started to reach out to people and ask questions. That’s my biggest lesson for my students, and everybody. … If there’s something you want to do you can probably figure it out and make it happen.”

Chris is a former Idaho Statesman reporter and editor who is freelancing for EdNews.