The story behind Otterly Games — from homework tears to otter-powered learning.
It started with tears — not mine, my child's. A homework worksheet with analog clocks, and a five-year-old who couldn't understand why the big hand meant minutes and the small hand meant hours. We'd been at it for twenty minutes, and we were both exhausted.
That night, I searched the App Store for help. What I found was a landscape of apps that were either paywalled, ad-riddled, data-hungry, or simply boring. Not a single one felt like it was made by someone who'd actually sat at a kitchen table with a crying child.
I'm not a developer by trade — I'm a mom with a laptop, a problem-solving mindset, and the kind of stubbornness that comes from wanting something better for my son. Using AI tools, late-night coding sessions, and my son as the world's most honest tester, I created Clock Master — a game that turned telling time from homework into play.
A few months later, multiplication tables arrived. Same tears, same search, same disappointment. Same solution: build it myself. Math Tank was born — tank battles powered by times tables.
Both apps share the same DNA: a journey through 30 real celestial objects in space, a coin economy that rewards learning, parental gates to keep settings safe, COPPA certification, and zero data collection. They're designed with care because learning should always feel safe and fun.
In nature, otters are the ultimate nurturing parents. A mother otter holds her baby while she sleeps, so they don't drift apart. She teaches her pup to swim by example. Otters play constantly — not because they're lazy, but because for them, play is learning.
When I needed a name for this little brand, "Otterly Games" felt right. We're a mama otter holding on tight, teaching through play, and making sure no child drifts away from the joy of learning.
Every feature in our apps passes one test: "Would I want this for my own child?" If the answer is no, it doesn't ship. That's our entire product strategy.
The principles behind every pixel, every lesson, and every line of code.
No accounts. No email. No names. No data sent anywhere. Everything stays on your child's device.
No dark patterns. No manipulative upsells. All ads are COPPA-certified and kid-safe. Transparency first.
Tank battles teach multiplication. Car races teach clock-reading. The math is the same — the motivation is worlds apart.
No buzzers for wrong answers. No leaderboards to shame. Just encouraging messages and celebration of every small win.
We're a one-mom operation. If our apps have helped your child, every coffee helps keep the games going and growing. ☕