Philadelphia Area Team Awarded 2nd Place in White House Sponsored Game Design Contest

Online, October 4, 2010 (Newswire.com) - The online video game "Fitter Critters" was awarded the 2nd place prize in a contest sponsored by the USDA and Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" campaign in a ceremony this week in Washington, D.C.
The game takes an innovative approach to fighting childhood obesity by leveraging the cutting-edge design of modern social media games. It was selected as runner up from among the 63 entrants in the competition.

In the game, players are given responsibility for raising and feeding a virtual pet. Players buy food, cook, invent recipes, and harvest vegetables from a garden. Pets whose daily nutritional needs are met without consuming excess fat, sugar, or calories will live healthier and more prosperous lives. The game allows kids to discover the relationship between food choices and quality of life. Pending social components will allow players to share recipes and view one another's virtual homes. The game was designed for use in health education classes and is targeted toward 9 to 12 year olds.

The design team, based in the suburbs of Philadelphia, completed development of the ambitious project in just under a month. The lead designer, John Ferrara, is author of the forthcoming book "Playful Design: Creating Game Experiences in Everyday Interfaces." He recruited developers Andrew Karetas and Bri Lance, and illustrator James Chiponis. Amanda Ferrara developed a comprehensive teacher's plan to integrate the game into classroom instruction.

The game is currently free for use by the public at http://www.fittercritters.com.