For months now, you have been hearing us yammer on about the Makers Tile Game, a series of illustrations commissioned as a companion to the online release of Cory Doctorow’s novel Makers. The 81 illustrations are interchangeable tiles that can be put together into one big puzzle or recombined in seemingly endless ways.
Last week we sent the Tiles out to the subscribership as Volume 26 in the Idiots’Books series. Yesterday, the Makers Tile Game hit the big time, landing on popular media and technology blog BoingBoing to great fanfare and praise from Cory Doctorow himself (he called us “insanely creative,” and we blushed appropriately).
Not only was yesterday the single greatest day in the history of Idiots’Books e-commerce (we got orders from 24 states and seven countries), but in just one day, more than 4,100 people around the world have watched the Makers Tile Game promotional video that Robbi made. Here it is. Watch and dare not to tremble.
Those of you who are freshly inspired to own the Makers Tile Game for yourselves may do so by clicking here. At only $12, the Tile Game is a pretty cheap date, especially considering that it offers more permutations than there are atoms in the universe (as determined by the fine mathematical minds at Williams College).
In our last subscriber mailing, we announced a contest. We will award a fabulous prize to the person who sends us a photo of the most innovative or wonderful use of Makers Tiles. The current frontrunner is this submission by the great Steve Haske.
I’d really like it if someone else could do better. Subscribers, show us how you are putting your Makers Tiles to use for the world. Surely someone out there has invented something fabulous, made some mindbending art, or leveled a wobbly table.
For those of you who are already enjoying your Makers Tiles, please send Robbi’s video around to others you think might be interested. We aim to start a Makers revolution (especially since the Cross-Eyed Zebra t-shirt revolution seems to be falling squarely on its face).
Awesomeness you guys.
It makes a wonderful piece of interactive art. When I spread a healthy dose of the tiles across the top of my center kitchen counter, I left the stack to the side of it. Every time I walked through the kitchen, other members of the household had added and made changes.
I think they would also make a charming table top, either under glass, or collaged and laquered.