By Andreas Katsis and Christina Wadsworth

In less than a month, senior Carole Touma and her sophomore brother, Paul, can boast more than 10,000 downloads of their new app Name that Jam!.  Not only is the Touma sibling’s creation widely popular across the United States, but it can also be found on most iPhones here at Menlo. Name that Jam! is a social media based mobile game that allows users to send a snippet of a song to their Facebook friends and challenge them to guess the song’s title. Name that Jam! has been in the works since this past summer, when the Touma duo held internships at MakeGamesWithUs, a company recently founded by two Menlo alums: Jeremy Rossman ‘09 and Ashu Desai ‘10. MakeGamesWithUs facilitated the successful creation of the Toumas’ app by giving game design feedback, providing artwork for the app, and creating a server that connects users via Facebook. In fact, MakeGamesWithUs now uses the basis of this server as a set of tools that any of their designers can use for a socially connected mobile game.

Only a few months after working on Name that Jam!, Carole and Paul submitted their design to the Apple App Store. Their game went through the standardized process Apple has for all of its apps for about a week and was promptly approved. As their 10,000 downloads suggests, the game is incredibly popular already. “The most exciting part about creating a game for me has been seeing our game downloaded in Australia, Taiwan, South Korea and countries all over the world,” said Carole. “I don’t know anyone from Saudi Arabia, but they’re playing the game! It’s awesome.” Name that Jam! also holds a place among the top 10 trivia and movie games in the United States App Store. According to Rossman, “It’s a really big milestone to be on the top 10 charts anywhere, let alone in the United States.” Equally impressive, the game had been opened a total of 85,000 times as of last Tuesday, and 75,000 challenges had been sent between friends.  “Games are a very hit-based business.  After months of work, it can all go out the door,” noted Desai on the success of the new app.  Name that Jam! has also been covered by mainstream press, including Venture Beat and Silicon Valley Press, who highly acclaim both the app and its designers.
Name that Jam! isn’t the only Menlo student created game that has found success, however. Seniors Shane Barratt, Chris Sauer, and David Rosenfeld have each published successful iPhone games with MakeGamesWithUs as well. Rosenfeld’s Killah Killah Whale is the second most played MakeGamesWithUs app on the iTunes App Store. Sauer’s Deeps welcomed extremely positive reception by Hacker News, Silicon Valley’s main programming website. And according to Rossman, Barratt’s Clear the Beavers holds a special place in the company’s heart. Make Games With Us demoed Barratt’s game while meeting with investors, who quickly became addicted, ended the meeting, and instantly invested in the company. A plethora of students at Menlo have found success through MakeGamesWithUs, each in their own unique way.
Even after a game has reached success, however, its designers still have unfinished work. The Toumas work each week on their app and have already come out with an updated version of Name that Jam!. In the future, the duo plans to find ways to make their game more profitable, perhaps setting up a token system where a user would buy tokens to unlock new songs or categories.  Desai noticed how “impressive their work was as a brother and sister combination.”  He then joked, “I cannot imagine doing that with my sister”. Already, Carole and Paul work each week to update their game based on feedback from their friends and reviewers on the iTunes App Stores. Make Games With Us is also continuing to design artwork for the Toumas’ game as they create new aspects and form new ideas.
Although the game has come along way throughout the creation process, the Toumas’ relationship as Menlo’s new dynamic duo has remained constant. “It was amazing to watch Carole and Paul work together”, said Rossman. “I’ve never seen siblings work better together or complement each other better. Their dedication and attention to detail have resulted in a game so polished that it can sit at the top of the US app store and rack in 5 star reviews.”  Desai added on Rossman, detailing the working ethic of the Touma power duo, “Not knowing how to do something did not stop them.  They conquered their unknowns.” The Toumas are appreciative of Rossman and Desai as well. “Our relationship with MakeGamesWithUs is comfortable. We’re not trying to impress them, and we’re not afraid of ever going to them with questions. Thanks to their help, we’ve gotten a lot done.”