Getty Dan Killian (center) pitches Pricetitution on 'Shark Tank.'
Pricetitution is an adult card game created by Dan Killian. Killian will be appearing on Shark Tank to help him expand his marketing and get distribution into toy and game retailers.
Pricetitution was established in 2017 and currently distributes its product through a company called Panda Manufacturing. Read on to learn how Killian started the card game, and how he hopes to expand it’s reach moving forward.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Pricetitution Guesses How Much Money It Would Take for Friends to Do Absurd Things
Pricetitution is an “adult card game” that determines how much money it would take for your friends to do crazy things. The game is described as a means of learning “way too much about each other” and an extension of “the ridiculous conversations you’re already having.”
To play, one person draws a price tag from the deck. The other players have a minute to question the Pricetitute to get a better idea of their answer. Next, everyone writes down the lowest possible dollar value for what the player would accept to do the task. After that, everyone shares their prices and the one closest to the player’s price gets a point. The first player to get to four points wins the game.
A single Pricetitution set consists of 130 cards that are shaped as price tags. Each card contains questions such as “How much would it take for you to delete all your social media accounts with no explanation?” or “How much would it take for you to lick all the cards in this game?”
2. Killian Worked at a Chicago Ad Agency Before Creating the Game
Killian was working at an ad agency when he came up with the idea for Pricetitution. He explained how it happened during an interview with the Chicagoist. “The short answer is I threw it out as an afterthought while sitting on my front stoop with a friend,” he said. “I needed a new creative outlet and was throwing out ideas ranging from videos to companies to card games.”
“Before developing this, I rarely played games and definitely didn’t think about diving in to develop one,” Killian added. “But at the core of Pricetitution are really deep and eye-opening conversations that everyone already has. Over drinks or a meal, my friends and I would always ask each other, ‘How much money would it take you to [blank]?’ It never got old because we always learned something new about each other, even if we had known one another for years.”
Killian went on to say that Pricetitution was his last chance to do something he was passionate about. “I’m stubborn and I was sick of just talking about ideas and saying ‘what if’ all the time,” he admitted. “Like many of us, for years I fell into the trap of being more scared of failing than excited about succeeding. It was classic paralysis by analysis. So I finally had to put my money (and backers’ money) where my mouth was.”
3. The Game Met Its KickStarter Goal of $10K In a Single Day
Killian launched a KickStarter campaign on May 22, 2017. The initial goal was $10K, but the Pricetitution was so popular that the goal was met in a single day. By the end of the first week, $18,000 had been pledged by 500 backers from around the world. The campaign ended after 30 days, raising an estimated $23,500 from almost 700 backers.
Killian recounted the lengthy process of getting the game right. “After testing with friends and family to work out the initial kinks, I packed up my bag with a couple of games and blindly went up to people at board-game bars in the city,” he said. “I just asked them if they wanted to play a new game while I took notes on what questions worked and what didn’t. The fear of rejection was pretty scary initially, but after countless testing sessions, I realized no group had ever said no.”
During the development phase, over 1,000 questions were considered, but they were eventually whittled down to 130 of the best. Killian told the Chicagoist that his favorite question is “How much to tell a preschool class of 20 kids that Santa isn’t real?” and explained why. “Yes, it can be perceived as heartless,” he admitted. “But if you dive deep, it combines a funny concept while also revealing very real traits about a person’s stance on guilt, morality and treatment of others. That balance of funny/real conversations is the crux of the game.”
4. Pricetitution Currently Distributes Through Panda Manufacturing
After his KickStarter success, Killian teamed up with Panda Manufacturing. “Pretty much the full design, all the cards, instructions, and everything were completely done before the Kickstarter even launched,” he explained. “But we did most of this by hand, and it’s very expensive and time-consuming to make just a few full games. So based on wanting to make 5,000 of these things, that’s not exactly something I could do in my basement.”
Killian said that Panda Manufacturing helped him meet the game’s high demand. “I found one of the best game manufacturers in the world to partner with,” he said of Panda. “Optimizations with them are currently in progress, but they’re mostly just tweaks at this point to make sure it’s the highest quality product possible.”
Pricetitution is currently available to purchase on Amazon. The game has a five star rating on the site, and costs $22.99 with a Prime membership.
5. Killian Wants a Shark Tank Investor to Help Him Connect with Retailers
Killian wants a Shark Tank investor to help expand Pricetitution’s reach. “Realistically, I see this as just the beginning,” he explained. “Of course there are the options of expansion packs, getting the game into local retailers, or even developing an app.”
“Pricetitution is a physical card game now, but creating tools that help others connect in unique ways is fascinating to me,” he added. “I also do some consulting about how improv comedy is the best preparation for anyone’s 9-to-5 job, so I’d love to explore how that and Pricetitution could be more intertwined. Relatability and true connections through conversation are timeless, so there are much bigger opportunities here I’d like to explore.”