Emotional Intelligence wrapped in a hilarious adventure

Help me bring Questy’s first adventure to life.

Questy likes to help! Specifically, he likes to help kids process big emotions. When those emotions turns into glitches, he comes to the rescue with a half-remembered rulebook, two terrible first ideas, and enough earnest enthusiasm to turn an emergency into an unforgettable adventure.

Watch the first look Support Questy

12 episodes written. One companion game. Now I need help bringing the animation to life.

Questy leaping through a bright portal into the Glitchverse

First lookAnimatic + game footage

12episode scripts written

1 minEpisode 1 animatic

1Game prototype

3 yrsself-funded development

Dr. Stephanie Bowles standing beside the PathQuester booth at a trade show — PathQuester at trade shows

Dr. Stephanie Bowles speaking with students at the PathQuester trade-show booth — Meeting students

When Questy became more than a mascot

A kid spent two hours at my trade-show booth talking to Questy about his career dreams.

This kiddo wanted to be a wildlife biologist, and he had a lot to say about frogs. I walked away knowing way more about frogs than I did when he arrived. What I kept thinking about afterward was that he had connected with Questy before he connected with the software.

Questy had started as a mascot for PathQuester. That conversation made me wonder whether the character could reach young people in a way the career software could not.

Later, I posted an early proof-of-concept video with my personal story. People responded right away. A friend even showed it to her whole Girl Scout troop. It felt different from the response I had gotten to the career software. People cared about the character, so I kept going.

Three years later, I have the first 12 episode season written, an Episode 1 animatic, and a playable first game level. I can keep writing and designing, but I cannot pay a professional animation team on my own.

Watch the original proof-of-concept video

Meet Mina

Mina loves drawing. Mina also has a brain. And Mina’s brain also has a hobby. It keeps score.

In the first episode, when Mina can’t stop comparing her drawings to her peers’, her feelings of self-comparison turn into a glitch. Her classroom turns into a mirror maze where a “perfect Mina” smugly flaunts her skills. Enter Questy to save the day. He promptly makes the problem bigger.

Why this episode

I still keep drawings I made when I was seven.

When I get frustrated with something I draw now, I sometimes put the old work beside it. I am still not the greatest artist in the world, but I have definitely improved. It is just difficult to see that improvement while it is happening.

Mina's story came from that feeling. She is so focused on how good other people seem right now that she cannot see the work she has already done. The mirrors show her what she thinks she should be. But her growth is in looking at her own work honestly and learning to value the effort behind it.

Each episode in the series focuses on different children with different challenges, including anxiety, procrastionation, perfectionism, low confidence, and more. The goal is to help young people practice moving through those feelings before the future starts asking them to make bigger choices.

Mina

Draws because she likes drawing.

Until comparison makes her feel like she's not good enough.

Mirror Mina

The version the glitch keeps showing her.

Perfect, polished, and impossible to live up to.

A feeling gets too loud.

A world bends around something emotionally true.

Enter Questy

He promptly stirs everything up.

Questy saves the day

After some bumbling, Mina and Questy fix the glitch together.

Here is what already exists

A minute inside the Glitchverse.

First look at series and game world. You can already feel the timing, music, emotional turn, and connection to the playable world. Sound on.

Series + gameFirst look

Playable now

Questy's first game level is live.

Play it now before anyone else and make a difference. I want young players to try it, tell me where they got stuck, and show me which parts they want to keep exploring.

The first level is built. What I need next is honest feedback from the people it is made for.

No adsInteractive StorytellingPlayer-paced

Current buildLevel 1 gameplay

What the campaign will fund

The first goal is one finished 11-minute episode.

The full season has twelve episodes. For this campaign, I am asking backers to help finish Episode 1. Once the remaining quotes are in, I will publish the complete budget.

Work already completed

What I have made so far

All 12 episode scripts
Character design and Questy rig
Episode 1 animatic
Playable game prototype
Core emotional mechanics

What backers will fund

What Episode 1 still needs

Final 2D animation
Voice performance
Original music and sound
Compositing and postproduction
Backer screening and delivery

Budget

Finish the budget

Confirm animation, voice, sound, reward, fee, and contingency costs.

Campaign

Raise the production funding

The campaign goal will cover the full cost of completing Episode 1.

Production

Make the episode

I'll share regular updates about the art, animation, sound, and game.

Release

Backers watch first

Backers receive early access before the episode is released publicly.

The production dates are not listed yet because the animation and sound partners have not been selected. I will publish the schedule after the people doing the work have reviewed and agreed to it.

Rewards

Choose how you would like to support Questy.

Game presales and series rewards both go into the same production fund. Every reward is delivered by email, and payment is handled by Stripe.

🎮 Mobile game🎞 Animated series

Mobile game

Play early and tell me what you think.

Game page →

Play the demo

Play Level 1

The first Questy level is ready to play. Try it, meet the characters, and tell me what you think.

Play Level 1
Get launch updates
Receive future playtest invitations

Founding player

Full Game Preorder

$15

Play Level 1 now. When the complete 10-level game is ready, it's yours.

Level 1 available to play
Complete 10-level game at launch
Permanent Founding Fan badge
Digital Questy sticker pack
Invitations to future playtests

Game + art

Game + production art

Questy Digital Art Pack

$35

Get the full game and a closer look at how Questy's world is being made.

Everything in Full Game Preorder
Digital character-design book
Episode 1 storyboards
Private production updates

Animated series

Help me finish the first episode.

Series page →

Support the episode

Support Questy

$15

For anyone who simply wants to help us finish Episode 1.

Digital Questy wallpaper
Name on the campaign thank-you page
Production updates

Most chosen

Your name in the credits

Episode 1 Backer Credit

$75

Be credited as one of the founding backers who helped fund the episode.

Everything in the Digital Art Pack
Founding Backer credit in Episode 1
Early screening invitation
Monthly production videos

Meet the creative team

Early Screening and Table Read

$150

Watch the episode early and join a small online event about how it was made.

Everything in Backer Credit
Small-group virtual table read
Digital script with creator notes
Early screening and live Q&A

Limited reward

Associate Producer

A formal production credit and additional access to the production process. The full terms will be published before the campaign opens.

$1,000

Founder and CEO · PathQuester

Dr. Stephanie Bowles · Creator of Questy

I originally drew a cartoon version of myself because I wanted to tell stories on YouTube.

I am a nerd at heart, and I thought I might become a YouTube animator. Later, while I was building PathQuester, I needed a mascot and Questy came to mind. The more people responded to him, the more he developed a personality and a world of his own.

I have also worked with young people for more than a decade. I kept seeing the same worries appear earlier and earlier: Am I talented enough? Am I already behind? What am I supposed to become? Those questions became the emotional starting point for the Glitchverse.

My experience as a Latina immigrant, first-generation student, LGBTQ person, and neurodivergent creator shaped the series too. I know what it is like to look for guidance and not always see people like yourself in the possible futures being presented to you.

I am the founder and CEO of PathQuester, with a doctorate in Learning, Design, and Technology. Behind every episode is everything I know about learning and development, but in stories that don't feel like lessons at all.

Questy does not tell a child what to become. He stays with them while they work through the uncertainty.

Campaign details

What I know so far.

Is Questy an educational show?

I made Questy to be entertainment first. He is funny, adventurous, and allowed to get things wrong. Learning science gives the story emotional weight, but the episodes are not lessons, therapy, or tests.

Why fund Episode 1 instead of all 12?

All twelve scripts are written, but funding an entire season would require a much larger campaign. I want to begin with one promise I know I can explain, budget, and deliver well: a finished first episode.

What does the $100,000 estimate include?

The current estimate for animation is about $10,000 per completed minute, or $100,000 for an 11-minute episode. The final campaign goal will also include confirmed costs for voice work, sound, music, platform fees, rewards, and a production contingency.

Who will make Episode 1?

I've got a studio based out of Richmond that I've shortlisted, and I'm in the process of casting the character voices, sound, and music partners.

When will Episode 1 and the rewards be delivered?

I will publish the production schedule after the team is selected and the people doing the work have agreed to it. The campaign page will include estimated dates for voice recording, animation, sound, the backer screening, the public release, and every reward.

What could delay production?

Animation can take longer than expected, creative schedules can change, and the game may need more testing. The final budget will include a contingency. If the schedule changes, I will explain what changed, what it affects, and what happens next in the regular backer updates.

Where will Episode 1 be released?

Backers will receive early access. After that, I plan to release Episode 1 online. If a broadcaster or streaming partner becomes involved, I will share that information after an agreement is signed.

Can children back the campaign?

Questy is made for ages 10 to 14, but purchases and campaign accounts need to be handled by an adult. Young fans can still follow the art, watch updates, and play with a parent or caregiver.