I don't wish to unload a ton of stuff on you in my first official post of I-55 Games. This post may be long, but it is VERY important. I would ask you all to please lead your friends here, so they might get a glimpse of our vision. The vision of I-55 Games is to train, nurture, empower, and release the disadvantaged as a socially responsible board and card game publisher. One of my passions is board and card games. My main passion is lifting people out of disparity. I was inspired by the president of Indie Boards and Cards, to use these passions together to bring about change in the lives of others. He donates $1 for every game he sells to Heifer International. His vision got me thinking about what else could be done with games. I love games not only for their entertainment value, but their ability to teach us and enrich relationships. I even use them to teach and build relationships with children in the inner city of St. Louis through Sun Ministries. I believe poverty in America is a "folie a deux". It is started by the shortcomings of the "have not's", and then propagated by "the haves". I do not believe it is beneficial to take sides in this situation. I also do not believe it is acceptable for us to stand idly by as our neighbors are prevented from reaching their full potential. Education, leadership, character, and faith are all that is needed to create a better us, and in turn a better world. The responsibility and privilege rests on all of us to administer these things as a community. The mission of I-55 Games is to lead the disadvantaged through incremental steps of success, to ultimate victory over their current situation. We will train our employees in basic work responsibilities (Timeliness, Organization, Effort, ect…). Once these basic tenants are in place we will nurture the employee’s goals and passions through vocational counseling and intermediate and advanced skills training. We will then empower the employee in these goals and passions by facilitating more successes in their newly learned skills. When an employee has reached their peak, I-55 Games will facilitate the release of the employee into an entrepreneurial work, or a better job position with a reputable company. I am a firm believer that "if you teach one to fish" he is better off because of it. If we all took the time to mentor people with less success than us, we would see a marked difference in the way our world works. Children need time and care invested into them in order to reach their potential, and resist drugs and crime. The man that was just released from jail and wants a second start, needs to be taught not only that it is ok to fail, but HOW to fail gracefully. So we aim to offer these resources to our community, and to do so with these goals in mind:
I-55 Games has as it’s goal to:
Create, publish, and distribute games that allow players to:
Exercise their minds and creativity
Positively interact with other people
Have a full and re-playable experience with just one purchase
Facilitate enjoyable learning experiences
Be a socially responsible company that:
Pays fair and livable wages for the work it provides
Invests in the inherent talents and strengths of it’s employees
Helps it’s employees attain their goals to the best of their abilities
Works with the community to incubate other opportunities and benefits
Exemplify good character and citizenship by:
Dealing honestly with all partners, employees, and customers
Dealing only with printers, manufacturers, and artists that share the same goals and values
Operating debt free
Sacrificing in favor of the needs of the employees and community when necessary.
So please keep your eye on us. More on our first product coming soon!
