Utah Family of 10 Builds a Game Studio Using AI to Do the Work of a Whole Company

Gotta Play Games launches its first title, Skip the Salad, showing how AI lets a family business create real work for sons on the autism spectrum.

SPANISH FORK, UT, UNITED STATES, July 2, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Most families don’t start game companies. Traditionally, creating a professionally published game required teams of illustrators, software developers, graphic designers, marketers, manufacturers, and web developers. Those resources placed the dream out of reach for most small businesses. One Utah family decided to find out whether that was still true.

Brandon and Elena Camp didn’t set out to build an AI company. They set out to build games that bring families together while creating meaningful work opportunities for their twin sons, both on the autism spectrum, who faced limited employment opportunities after high school.

The result is Gotta Play Games, a family-run game studio founded by Brandon, Elena, and their eight children, launching today with its debut title, Skip the Salad. In about four months, the family created a professionally manufactured card game, native mobile apps, a web platform, original artwork, branding, packaging, and a complete marketing campaign, all as a family-run business. Until recently, bringing all of those pieces to market would have required a much larger creative studio.

Along the way, the family discovered something unexpected. Modern AI tools have dramatically accelerated software development, artwork production, marketing assets, and creative iteration. That allowed the family to build an entire entertainment brand around its first game while remaining a family-run business. Their twin sons now contribute directly to the company through game testing, design feedback, operations, and content creation.

“Much of the conversation around AI is about the jobs it might replace,” said Brandon Camp, founder of Gotta Play Games and a graduate of the BYU Marriott School of Business. “For our family, AI made it possible to create work that didn’t exist before. It helped us build a company we never could have built otherwise, and our hope is that it creates meaningful opportunities for our children for years to come.”
Every game mechanic, every playtest, every manufacturing decision, and every creative direction came from the Camp family. AI accelerated execution. It didn’t replace the imagination, judgment, or the heart behind the company.

Skip the Salad reflects that philosophy. The card game is easy to learn but rewards strategic play, challenging players to avoid taking tricks instead of collecting them. A modular “topping” system adapts the rules, making every game feel different while remaining accessible for families and experienced card players alike.

“Going back to school and becoming a therapist taught me that the right environment can completely change what’s possible for people,” said Elena Camp, a co-founder and Clinical Mental Health Counselor. “We wanted to build that kind of environment for our own family. If our games help other families spend more meaningful time together along the way, that’s even better.”

The need for new approaches to employment is significant. According to Drexel University’s National Autism Indicators Report, only about 58% of young adults on the autism spectrum hold a paying job in their early twenties. Rather than wait for opportunities to appear, the family decided to create one themselves.

That inclusive spirit runs through the company itself, a family business that includes kids who are on the autism spectrum and have ADHD. It is the idea behind the studio's tagline, Gather up. Game on. The invitation is to everyone at the table, whatever way their mind works, because the best moments happen when everyone gets to play.

"We believe our story represents something larger than a single game launch," added Brandon. "We see it as an early example of how AI is changing entrepreneurship by allowing families and small businesses to build products that once required entire companies while keeping creativity, decision-making, and ownership firmly in human hands."

Skip the Salad is available now as a physical card game and free to play on the App Store, Google Play (under review), and on the web, with an optional one-time unlock for additional rounds and toppings for $4.99. Skip the Salad plays 3 to 8 players, ages 8 and up, in about 30 minutes, and the physical card game retails for $19.99.

The Camp family will also be sharing Skip the Salad in person this summer. Utah neighbors can find their booth at Provo Freedom Days (July 2-4) and Spanish Fork Fiesta Days (July 22-25), where families can meet the Camps, play a round, and pick up a copy.

About Gotta Play Games

Gotta Play Games is a family-run game studio based in Spanish Fork, Utah, creating original card games, board games, and digital experiences designed to bring people together. Founded in 2026 by Brandon and Elena Camp and their eight children, the company’s mission is twofold: to create games families can’t put down and to build meaningful employment opportunities for their sons on the autism spectrum. Learn more at https://gottaplay.games.

Gather up. Game on.

Brandon Camp
Gotta Play Games
press@gottaplay.games
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