Draft:Gimkit

Gimkit is an educational game website created by Josh Feinsilber, in 2017. As of July 2024, there are over 22 game modes with popular themes such as Blastball, Capture The Flag, Tag, Fishtopia, and more. You can put educational question sets in and answer them to do certain actions.

There is an XP (Experience Points) system. When you get 1,000 XP, it resets and you receive 100 GimBucks. You can use them to buy cosmetics like trails, skins, and stickers. There is a Gimkit Season Pass that costs 5 dollars. Similar to other games, such as Fortnite, you can receive exclusive cosmetics and other exclusive actions.

Creation
Gimkit was created by Josh Feinsilber as a high school project in October 2017. Back then, it was called Gimlet. He posted it on a site called Product Hunt, where it garnered mostly positive reviews.

2018-2019
By now, Gimlet had become Gimkit, and had around 7 game modes where you could answer questions, but it was not the Gimkit we know today. You could enjoy game modes with power-ups, a shop, some challenges to overcome or constraints, and some occasionally had teams. Some game modes were Pictionary, This or That, Floor Is Lava, and more.

Pandemic Years
COVID-19 and virtual learning increased Gimkit usage, as teachers found that students liked the engagement and minigames.

April of 2022 brought great change to Gimkit. New 2D Game modes where you could play with "blobby characters" named Gims. Gamemodes like Fishtopia, Farmchain, Capture the Flag, Tag, and more were added to the game, as well as a shop with cosmetics like skins and stickers.

Present Day
In 2023, moderation came into key as lots of content was created. 3 new game modes were created. One Way Out, Don't Look Down, and Blastball; in April, October and December respectively. New cosmetics were made weekly, with new skins and trails coming out in the shop. In May 2024, there was a new gamemode called Knockback

Cosmetics
Cosmetics in Gimkit as a progression and reward system that keeps students highly engaged over time. In the 2D game modes, players have the opportunity to earn valuable XP that can unlock customization options.

As you accumulate XP through gameplay, you gradually level up, with each level bringing a reward of 100 GimBucks. These virtual currency units can be used to purchase a plethora of in-game items from the Item Shop.