Nick Martel

Kids that might otherwise have never seen or touched these machines are logging hours of gameplay, stocking up on supplies at Fort Kearney, or floating their wagons across the Snake River all on an Apple keyboard. So that's the interesting thing, Jack. The secondary benefit of the game is that it acts as an onboarding tool for kids to get comfortable with tech.

Kids that might otherwise have never seen or touched these machines are logging hours of gameplay, stocking up on supplies at Fort Kearney, or floating their wagons across the Snake River all on an Apple keyboard. So that's the interesting thing, Jack. The secondary benefit of the game is that it acts as an onboarding tool for kids to get comfortable with tech.

Kids that might otherwise have never seen or touched these machines are logging hours of gameplay, stocking up on supplies at Fort Kearney, or floating their wagons across the Snake River all on an Apple keyboard. So that's the interesting thing, Jack. The secondary benefit of the game is that it acts as an onboarding tool for kids to get comfortable with tech.

and embrace the digital age with confidence. The Oregon Trail is basically a gateway goody. And other state school systems start to take notice. They too want to get their hands on these Apple computers and the Oregon Trail software license so that their kids can become familiar with computers.

and embrace the digital age with confidence. The Oregon Trail is basically a gateway goody. And other state school systems start to take notice. They too want to get their hands on these Apple computers and the Oregon Trail software license so that their kids can become familiar with computers.

and embrace the digital age with confidence. The Oregon Trail is basically a gateway goody. And other state school systems start to take notice. They too want to get their hands on these Apple computers and the Oregon Trail software license so that their kids can become familiar with computers.

so mech begins to sell their software library to out-of-state buyers for around 10 to 20 dollars per program all right jack let's hit the whiteboard on this thing 10 to 20 dollars per license is not exactly that much but when we're talking about hundreds of licenses for thousands of classrooms I mean, these numbers are starting to add up, man.

so mech begins to sell their software library to out-of-state buyers for around 10 to 20 dollars per program all right jack let's hit the whiteboard on this thing 10 to 20 dollars per license is not exactly that much but when we're talking about hundreds of licenses for thousands of classrooms I mean, these numbers are starting to add up, man.

so mech begins to sell their software library to out-of-state buyers for around 10 to 20 dollars per program all right jack let's hit the whiteboard on this thing 10 to 20 dollars per license is not exactly that much but when we're talking about hundreds of licenses for thousands of classrooms I mean, these numbers are starting to add up, man.

That is a lot of money for a nonprofit in the education space, Jack. It's more than $10 to $20 per license, that's for sure. Okay, but Iowa's Department of Education, I guess they're like, what the heck? This game's kind of fun. I don't want to die of dysentery. Let's do it.

That is a lot of money for a nonprofit in the education space, Jack. It's more than $10 to $20 per license, that's for sure. Okay, but Iowa's Department of Education, I guess they're like, what the heck? This game's kind of fun. I don't want to die of dysentery. Let's do it.

That is a lot of money for a nonprofit in the education space, Jack. It's more than $10 to $20 per license, that's for sure. Okay, but Iowa's Department of Education, I guess they're like, what the heck? This game's kind of fun. I don't want to die of dysentery. Let's do it.

MEC sets up a software membership program, like a Netflix subscription, but for computer games, and 5,000 school districts sign up. That's about a third of all the school districts in the United States. Not too shabby. 16 countries outside of the U.S. join into this subscription program, including France and Japan. The program is so successful, it makes MEC financially self-sustaining. What?

MEC sets up a software membership program, like a Netflix subscription, but for computer games, and 5,000 school districts sign up. That's about a third of all the school districts in the United States. Not too shabby. 16 countries outside of the U.S. join into this subscription program, including France and Japan. The program is so successful, it makes MEC financially self-sustaining. What?

MEC sets up a software membership program, like a Netflix subscription, but for computer games, and 5,000 school districts sign up. That's about a third of all the school districts in the United States. Not too shabby. 16 countries outside of the U.S. join into this subscription program, including France and Japan. The program is so successful, it makes MEC financially self-sustaining. What?

an achievement for a nonprofit. But that achievement comes with some strings attached. Yeah, we got an interesting twist here. Becoming financially self-sustaining means that MEC stops getting funding from the state government. What we're saying is that MEC goes from a state-financed nonprofit to a for-profit corporation that's got to pull its own weight.

an achievement for a nonprofit. But that achievement comes with some strings attached. Yeah, we got an interesting twist here. Becoming financially self-sustaining means that MEC stops getting funding from the state government. What we're saying is that MEC goes from a state-financed nonprofit to a for-profit corporation that's got to pull its own weight.

an achievement for a nonprofit. But that achievement comes with some strings attached. Yeah, we got an interesting twist here. Becoming financially self-sustaining means that MEC stops getting funding from the state government. What we're saying is that MEC goes from a state-financed nonprofit to a for-profit corporation that's got to pull its own weight.

And that is going to have huge consequences for how they do business. This game, it's been played millions of times by students, and yet it has brought in zero dollars of direct revenue. But now, MEC needs to survive like any other corporation. So their new priority for the Oregon Trail? Monetize. And Jack, what do software companies do to monetize? Launch new versions. Oh yeah.

And that is going to have huge consequences for how they do business. This game, it's been played millions of times by students, and yet it has brought in zero dollars of direct revenue. But now, MEC needs to survive like any other corporation. So their new priority for the Oregon Trail? Monetize. And Jack, what do software companies do to monetize? Launch new versions. Oh yeah.