Pinoy Couple Designs 'Bee-Inspired' Board Game That's Now Being Sold Internationally!

Sometimes the best business opportunities come from unlikely places. For Pinoy couple Alexis and Shiela Dela Cuesta, it was during their daughter Deborah’s first birthday party.

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In an interview with Summit Videos, the couple shares that they came up with a bee-themed celebration after Shiela discovered that their daughter’s name is the Hebrew word for “bee.” And since the couple had waited for a baby for so long, they knew they had to make her first ever party extra special.

Sheila put Alexis in charge of entertainment and Alex came up with an activity inspired by the card game Exploding Kittens and Snakes & Ladders. He called it “Sting A Win.” They had it printed on two life-sized tarpaulins so that their guests could play it while the party was happening.

Those who attended the party encouraged the couple to make it into an official board game. After Alexis and Shiela ran a few playtests (where a game designer tests a new game for bugs and design flaws), the couple eventually decided to self-publish Sting A Win.

Sting A Win gameplay

“The first player to reach the hive wins the game,” explains Alexis. Just like Snakes & Ladders, the game is filled with obstacles like spiders, frogs, and birds, which are real-life predators to bees.

Instead of rolling the dice, the game makes use of cards for players to move around. If your token bee lands on any of the predators, you will die. But if you have the “Sting” card — which you can only use once — it can keep you alive in the game. “That’s why it’s called Sting A Win!”

The board game also introduces Quiz Bee cards, which contain facts and trivia about bees, and offers “nectars” as a prize — another path to winning the game. If a player successfully answers the questions and accumulates 1,000 nectars, he becomes the winner.

“I think the best thing about this game is that it arouses curiosity,” Alexis tells Summit Videos. It is both fun and educational not just for kids, but for the whole family as well.

“Makikita nila ‘yung bee facts. Makikita nila the artworks, the trivia that goes into each of the cards. And then that’s where the parents [can come in], they need to teach their children about the bees… Without the bees, we wouldn’t have many of the fruits and vegetables that we enjoy. [Children] get to know the importance of the bees,” Alexis shares.

A blessing in disguise

It was literally a gamechanger for the couple — Sting-A-Win has been well-received by the beekeeping community and it is available at different bee farms in the Philippines. It’s also being sold internationally in countries like Singapore, United Kingdom, Australia, and Venezuela.

“We consider it a God-given idea, as we have been praying for business we could start to augment our income,” Alexis shares in an interview with the blog GoshDarnGeeky.

Apart from the business opportuniy, Shiela and Alexis love that the board game gives families a chance to bond together without any gadgets. Alexis shares that during the design process, a friend suggested that they use chips in the board and include QR codes to eliminate the need to print the Quiz Bee cards.

“Sabi naming ng wife ko, we are advocating ‘yung face-to-face interaction. Playing time with the family,” Alexis says.

Watch the video below to see the game in action and find out how you can get one for your family!

READ THESE STORIES ON BOARD GAMES

• This 'Tagalog Scrabble' May Help Improve Your Child's Filipino Vocabulary
• How a Board Game Can Be Your 'Deposit' in Your Child's Emotional Bank Account

Board games can also develop reading and life skills! Click here for more.