Stammurai

'The Stammurai' - screenshot

A free iPhone/ iPod touch game has been created by young people aged 13-18 who stammer. You can download it from iTunes.

"Ever wondered if you had what it took to be a Samurai? One young man did, the best in his class, he conquered all his demons except one, his stammer, with it he struggled to say his cool finishing moves in front of his vanquished foes. So one day he decides to go on a quest to find his voice and become the hero he always wanted to be."

Evil.twin.education delivered workshops in Swindon with the young people who stammer, teaching them how to create an iPhone game. From initial concept to final delivery, the young people created everything. Claire McNeil, a speech and language therapist at Swindon PCT worked with Mark Carroll of evil.twin.

From one of the young people involved:

"This has been very exciting because not every teenager will have this opportunity. I have enjoyed working on the art side of things, like the colouring in of the pictures and the music to it. My parents are also very excited about the whole thing, they think it is an amazing thing that people of our age have the chance to do something like this. I am very proud to say that I have been part of a project that has made an iphone/ipod app, that will be put on the app shop so that people all around the world can look at it, play it and just learn what it's like."

The game was made thanks to Mediabox, a UK fund that helps young people make media projects.

From the Autumn 2010 issue of 'Speaking Out', page 5

Also: No rest for the Wicked: interview with Evil Twin's Mark Carroll

Links:
iTunes - Download the free app
evil.twin.education: The Stammurai
Swindon Advertiser launch article (15/7/10)
Swindon animation project is helping those who stammer (link to BBC website) 29/12/10

Stammurai film: a short animated film made by young people who stammer won first prize in the best animation category at the First Light Awards 2012.