Cognitive Play Incubator - Accelerating the Future of Intelligent Play

Two Paths Diverged in Word Gaming

se·man·tic game /səˈman(t)ik ɡām/

A game that explores how words relate through meaning rather than spelling.
Think Codenames, not Scrabble. Connections, not Wordle.

While most word games remained stuck in letter manipulation—Scrabble, Wordle, crosswords—a parallel tradition emerged: semantic games that explore meaning, not spelling.

The Letter Games (Most Popular)

Arrange letters into valid words:

Scrabble - maximize letter values
Wordle - guess the hidden word
Crosswords - fill the grid
Boggle - find words in a matrix
Spelling Bee - make words from letters

Tests: Vocabulary size, spelling ability

The Semantic Games (Our Heritage)

Explore how words relate through meaning:

Taboo, Only Connect, Codenames, Decrypto, NYT Connections—these games ask how concepts relate, not how they're spelled.

Develops: Pattern recognition, lateral thinking

The Limitation of Even Great Semantic Games:

They're constrained by pre-authored content. Taboo has fixed cards. Connections has daily puzzles. Codenames has limited word grids.
What if semantic games could explore the entire network of language?

From Taboo to Transformers: The Evolution of Semantic Gaming

While most word games obsess over spelling—arranging letters into valid words—semantic games explore how words relate through meaning. This isn't new. For decades, players have navigated the rich networks of language, but only now, with modern AI, can we fully unleash semantic gaming's potential.

1989: The Constraint Era (Taboo)

The party game Taboo pioneered semantic constraint gameplay. Players couldn't use obvious related words, forcing creative navigation through language networks. Describing "coffee" without saying "drink," "morning," or "caffeine" revealed how interconnected our vocabulary truly is. This wasn't about spelling—it was about understanding conceptual relationships.

2008: The Connection Era (Only Connect)

BBC's Only Connect elevated semantic puzzles to high art. Contestants identified hidden links between seemingly unrelated items—perhaps discovering that "Horn," "Bell," "Wheel," and "Mirror" all precede "boy" in compound words. This wasn't trivia; it was pattern recognition across meaning.

2015: The Association Era (Codenames/Decrypto)

Modern board games like Codenames and Decrypto turned semantic associations into strategic gameplay. Spymasters compressed multiple concepts into single clues, while Decrypto forced evolving semantic creativity as obvious connections became dangerous. These games proved semantic thinking could sustain deep, replayable mechanics.

2023: The Categorization Era (NYT Connections)

Digital dailies like NYT Connections brought semantic categorization to millions. Players sort 16 words into four groups, discovering that "ATOM, CELL, ORGAN, TISSUE" share biological hierarchy while "CALL, DIAL, PHONE, RING" share telephonic action. The constraint of exactly four groups of four creates elegant puzzle tension.

2025: The Network Era (Our Work)

Now, with LLMs and massive semantic databases, we can explore language's full network. No longer limited to pre-authored categories or fixed associations, our games navigate the actual semantic web—1.5 million words, 100 million connections. Players trace paths through meaning itself, discovering that any two concepts connect through just a few semantic hops.

"Traditional word games ask 'Is this spelled correctly?'
Semantic games ask 'How does this connect to that?'
One tests memorization. The other develops critical thinking.

Why This Matters Now

The Technical Unlock

LLMs don't just check spelling—they understand context, connotation, and creative connections. This enables gameplay impossible just five years ago: validating player-discovered semantic paths, generating infinite meaningful puzzles, and adapting to how individual minds create connections.

The Cultural Moment

In our fragmented media landscape, the ability to recognize patterns and connections across disparate information isn't just entertaining—it's essential. Semantic games train the cognitive muscles needed to navigate modern information complexity.

The Market Opportunity

300 million people play Wordle variants daily, exhausting simple letter-manipulation puzzles. They're ready for deeper challenges that explore language's richness rather than its spelling conventions.

Our Games: The Network Era in Action

We're building what we believe in - semantic games powered by AI that explore the infinite network of language

In Other Words

www.inotherwords.app →

Semantic Navigation Platform - Live on App Store

Daily puzzles where players find paths between seemingly unrelated words by following chains of meaning. Features a permanent, free visual thesaurus with 1.5 million words and 100 million relationships. Unlike traditional word games that focus on spelling or synonyms, players navigate semantic space through meaningful connections.

1.5M

Words Mapped

100M

Relationships

Daily

New Puzzles

OtherWordly

www.otherwordly.com →

Award-Winning Space Word Adventure - Beta Testing

Combines physics-based gameplay with semantic puzzles. Players fling solar words through space to match them with orbiting targets, deciphering missing letters while dodging cosmic debris. With 15 adaptive difficulty levels, extensive accessibility options, and teacher-crafted content, it serves everyone from English learners to vocabulary experts.

Difficulty Levels

Adaptive

AI System

Full

Accessibility

Project Constellation

Studio Project - Month 12 of 18

Pattern-matching game designed specifically for neurodiverse players. Features predictable mechanics with infinite depth, visual-first gameplay, and AI-adaptive difficulty that responds to attention patterns. Built for the 300M+ gamers with ADHD who seek engaging, dopamine-driving experiences.

ADHD

Primary Focus

LiveOps

Daily Content

Q2 2025

Launch Date

Project Lexicon

Studio Project - Month 8 of 18

Massively multiplayer word-building universe where 50M+ daily word game enthusiasts collaborate and compete. Uses LLMs to validate creative word combinations, generate infinite puzzles, and power real-time semantic battles. Targets the intersection of Wordle addicts and brain training subscribers.

MMO

Word Gaming

10M+

API Calls/Day

Q3 2025

Launch Date

Now accepting applications for Fall 2025 cohort

3 slots available for ambitious teams building cloud-native cognitive games

Two Massive Underserved Markets

We fund games for the audiences that mainstream studios ignore

Neurodiverse Gamers

1.5 Billion Players

300M+ with ADHD - Need engaging, dopamine-driving gameplay
200M+ with dyslexia - Prefer visual/pattern-based games
150M+ autistic gamers - Seek predictable systems with deep complexity
2-3x higher LTV - More loyal, longer play sessions

LLMs enable real-time adaptation to different cognitive styles, making these games finally profitable to build and operate.

Word Game Enthusiasts

$2.5B Market

300M+ daily players - Wordle, crosswords, word searches
50M+ pay subscriptions - NYT Games, brain training apps
45+ demographic - Highest payment rates in gaming
5x retention - vs traditional casual games

LLMs generate infinite puzzles and validate creative answers, solving the content exhaustion problem that limits growth.

The Perfect Storm for Semantic Gaming

Why this is the moment for language games to evolve

🧠

LLMs Changed Everything

We can finally validate creative language use, understand context, and generate infinite meaningful content—not just check spelling.

📈

Word Games Hit Mainstream

Wordle proved 300M+ people want daily word challenges. But they're exhausting simple formats. Players crave depth.

💭

Critical Thinking Crisis

In our fragmented media landscape, games that develop semantic reasoning and connection-finding are more vital than ever.

🌈

Neurodiverse Recognition

15-20% of people think differently. Semantic games embrace pattern-finding over spelling, serving minds that work in networks.

Founders We Support

Building the next generation of semantic gaming

Vision Beyond Crosswords

Founders who see past spelling bees and trivia to imagine new ways of exploring language networks and meaning

Technical Innovation

Teams that leverage LLMs for gameplay mechanics, not just content generation—creating living language experiences

Cognitive Accessibility

Commitment to serving neurodiverse players and understanding that minds work in networks, not lists

Critical Thinking Mission

Belief that games can develop semantic reasoning and connection-finding for our fractured media landscape

Cloud-Native Unit Economics

A new economic model for sustainable gaming

Infrastructure as Sustainable COGS

Unlike traditional games requiring massive upfront infrastructure investment, our model scales linearly. Whether serving 1,000 or 1 million players, infrastructure remains ~30% of revenue.

Revenue Allocation at Scale:

Cloud & LLM APIs 25-35%
Platform Fees 30%
Team & Operations 30-35%
Growth & Margin 5-10%

This higher infrastructure percentage is offset by 90% lower content creation costs (LLMs generate infinite content), 75% lower user acquisition costs (unique gameplay drives organic growth), and 50% lower QA costs (AI handles edge cases).

18-Month Path to Profitability

Months 1-6: Prototype

Cloud costs: ~10% of budget
Team focus: Core mechanics validation
Monthly burn: ~$20-25K

Months 7-12: Beta

Cloud costs: ~20% of budget
500-1,000 test users
Monthly burn: ~$30-40K

Months 13-18: Soft Launch

Cloud costs: ~30% of budget
5,000-10,000 players
Monthly burn: ~$50-80K
Revenue beginning to offset costs

Total investment: $400K over 18 months supports a 2-person core team plus freelancers, with infrastructure costs scaling predictably as player base grows.

About Cognitive Play Incubator

Our Theory: Semantic Games for Critical Thinking

Word puzzles are stuck in a rut—endless remixes of spelling, trivia, and categorization. We believe semantic games that explore language networks can build critical thinking skills while creating sustainable businesses. By leveraging LiveOps and LLMs, we're jumpstarting a new genre that makes the richness of language accessible and engaging.

Proven Innovation Through Federal Research

Building on our NSF-funded research (Award #2304423) in AI algorithms for prosocial gaming, we combine government grants, philanthropic support, and technology licensing revenue. This unique model empowers us to create real-world impact for underserved markets.

Our Architecture Investment Thesis

We fund games built on live-service architectures where modern LLMs aren't just features but the core game engine itself. Every player action requires real-time LLM inference - from word validation to difficulty adjustment to content generation. This architecture means player engagement directly drives infrastructure usage, creating sustainable unit economics where cloud compute becomes predictable COGS rather than a limiting factor.

Funding Structure

Estate Gift from Healthcare Philanthropist (2024)
NSF SBIR Grant Support Services
Technology Licensing Revenue
Strategic Technology Partnerships

A project of Idea Org, Inc.
501(c)(3) nonprofit organization

Breaking Word Games Free from Letter-Play

Non-Profit Startup Studio + Incubator

Co-Development

No Equity

Grant Expertise

18-Month Runway