I don’t know what you were doing when you were six years old, but I certainly wasn’t creating my own video games. It feels like today’s kids are just smarter than we were. As parents, we really want to nurture that kind of creative development. That’s why I love how there are more and more STEM/STEAM toys for kids these days. A cool example of this is DoodleMatic. Basically, you draw your game on a regular piece of paper and the app converts it automatically into an actual playable game.

Toys and games can and should be fun, for sure. But, it’s even better when they encourage kids to ask questions and perform their own experiments. Is it really as good as they make it out to be? With my first-grader as my fellow product tester and reviewer, we endeavored to find out.

(Disclosure: I was sent the DoodleMatic package at no cost for the purposes of this review. I received no other compensation. All opinions are mine. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)

Getting Started With DoodleMatic

Has anyone else noticed a rise in “hybrid” toys and products for kids? Here are products that blend the analog with the digital. Some toys offer an augmented reality (AR) experience, for example. In the case of the DoodleMatic Mobile Game Maker, kids draw their games on regular sheets of paper using regular colored markers. That’s the analog part of it. The fun twist is that you then snap a photo of the picture using the mobile app. The app translates the drawing into a playable game. It’s really quite a remarkable idea.

In some sense, you can then see why you might not need the physical package. If you already have paper and colored markers, you can play with DoodleMatic. Sort of. When you download the app, you only have access to the demo or trial version. You need to buy the physical package, not only to get the physical materials below, but also to get your unique QR code. This code unlocks the full version of the DoodleMatic app with a wealth of features and way more games.

Even if we put that aside for a moment, the physical supplies here are still worthwhile. For starters, you’ll know that the markers will be exactly the right colors (more on that in a moment). Second, the provided books act as a tutorial. They walk you through the process of making your mobile games, layering on the complexity as you go.

Building Blocks of Gaming

The DoodleMatic package says this is for ages six and up when the kid has help from someone older. They say kids 10 and up can do it on their own. That sounds about right for me. As we worked through the first book, I had to explain a few basic guidelines or concepts to my six-year-old. I had to remind her about size and scale, for example. She draws a lot, but this isn’t “just” a drawing; it’s going to be a game.

The game elements are color-coded. Your avatar/character is green, the goals are blue, the platforms and other stage elements are black, and so on. The first book walks you through all of this. In one of her first drawings, Addie drew her avatar and goal so big that they took up almost the entirety of the page. That’s fine for a drawing, not so great for a game. The game, in this case, is to get your avatar to collect the goal(s). If a single tap to the right accomplishes the goal, it’s not much of a game.

This basic game — get your character to collect the goal(s) — offers two variants. There’s a side view version with a “jump” button (think Super Mario Bros.). And then there’s a top view version with four directional arrows (think Pac-Man). Another one of the games plays a bit like Angry Birds, as you fling your avatar using a super slingshot. The objective is the same: collect all the goals.

As you make your way through this first book and into the second, you add on more layers of complexity. Items drawn in red are enemies; you lose if you touch them. Movable objects are purple; bump them with your avatar to move them, complete with “realistic” physics. You can turn gravity on or off. There are also powerups, like adding rotation, projectiles and more.

These extra layers are probably a bit much for my first-grader at the moment. But, they do mean that you’ll get more hours out of this as the kid gets older and learns more.

Drawings Into Playable Games

The magic of DoodleMatic, of course, is turning your drawing into a game. Grab the mobile app (available for Android and iOS devices) and go through the initial setup. Once ready, you can snap a photo of the drawing using the in-app camera. There’s a helpful frame to help you line up your drawing. They also recommend placing a plain sheet of white paper behind your drawing, as anything visible in the photo becomes a part of your game.

Honestly, and perhaps unsurprisingly, she was way more interested in playing the games than creating them. The gameplay, as mentioned, is remarkably simple. At the same time, the creative possibilities are near limitless. What’s great is that you can play games that other DoodleMatic owners have created too. They’re also a great source of inspiration for what is possible within the DoodleMatic environment.

Beyond the “Get the Goals” and “Super Slingshot” games, you’ll also find a few other options. You can play Paddle Battle as a multiplayer game from above (like Pong) or from the side (like tennis). And then there’s Brick Breaker, which is similar to the arcade classic Breakout.

The DoodleMatic Mobile App

As a concept, I think the DoodleMatic concept is a lot of fun. It really taps into a child’s curiosity and creativity. The game can look like (almost) anything they want, even if the core dynamics remain largely unchanged. We know that the digital experience will be a huge part of their lives, so we may as well embrace it in a productive way. The game-making process also taps into logical thinking and creative problem solving. They’re not coding with DoodleMatic, but their brains are going through a lot of the same processes.

However, I would be remiss if I did not comment on the DoodleMatic mobile app. More specifically, I’d like to talk briefly about the performance of the app.

At least in my experience, I found the app to be very slow or even unresponsive at times. I’d tap on something and nothing would happen. Or, it would appear like it’s frozen and I just ended up closing and reopening the app to try again. The DoodleMatic app even crashed on me a few times. This was on my Google Pixel 3 XL, which typically handles everything else just fine. I don’t think it’s a device issue.

In terms of design, I get that the app is trying to be fun, colorful and kid-friendly. My recommendation would be to load it onto a tablet rather than a smartphone. The interface feels better suited to the larger screen, especially when it comes to playing the actual games.

A Game That Grows With Your Child

In so many parenting handbooks and thought pieces, screen time can be demonized as melting the brains of our children. The truth is not all screen time is made alike. Indeed, for the overwhelming majority of kids and teens, screen time is or will be an absolutely necessary component of what it means to be a functional, contributing member of society. You’re reading these words on a screen right now, just as I am typing them on one.

It’s truly amazing that we can introduce game design and development — even at a relatively simple level — at such a young age. DoodleMatic is one of these products that taps into both creativity and critical thinking skills. And these sorts of skills will really benefit young minds whether or not they end up pursuing a STEM or STEAM career. App performance issues aside, the clever blend of analog and digital really makes for a unique, rewarding experience.

DoodleMatic is available now for $29.99 USD or $39.99 CAD.