GA/GI Goes To Global Game Jam /Jia Ji Presents Amazing Apps for Healthy Families

Sabrina Haskell

What stays awake 48 hours to create, has 19 teams, 19 computers, 19 games and an average of 590+  working fingers? It's Pittsburgh's Global Game Jam! Sponsored by the International Game Developers Association, Global Game Jam is a great opportunity to build a game in 2 days and have other  people play it. The concept began to help grow the game industry, by having enthusiasts (artists, techs, students, musicians and others) rapidly prototype new video game designs in 48 hours. This year the local site for this international event was the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and GA/GI Director, Christine Bethea, was asked to judge the games along with AIP President, George Sebolt and M.K.Haley from CMU's Entertainment Technology Center. The Event was organized by Sabrina Haskell of Schell Games and our involvement came via Jia Ji of Couchange, a company who fosters creative fund raising ideas for non profits. But more on Ji later....

It was pandemonium at the onset at the the Global Games Jam on Sunday, January 30th. At 3 pm sharp, dozens of eager hopefuls poured out from elevators and jockeyed for tables, looking to get their games in the forefront. With winners from last year, actually realizing a market for their product, it was no wonder such a large and diverse crowd was willing to go sleepless to join this video game competition. The theme: Extinction led to some very worthy experimentation. All three judges had a difficult time, with so many creative minds displaying their best efforts. In the end, it was a dead heat finish between "Sons of Ham" and "The Running Lattes.".Both teams excelled not only for their overall creative style and ability, but for their colorful presentations as well. We may very well see their games in retail stores in the very near future.

Jia Ji

On both Friday, April 1 during GA/GI @ Unblurred on Penn Avenue and Saturday, April 2 during GA/GI @ the Union Project Open House (corner of  Highland Park's Stanton and Negley Avenue), you will certainly be seeing Jia Ji. He'll join GA/GI  to showcase the Healthy Family Apps that were recently created as part of the Michele Obama "Let's Move" campaign. $60,000 in cash prizes was given out to 12 innovators from across the nation for the creation of software tools which encouraged kids and their families to consider healthy choices in eating and to become more physically active. Criteria for the winning models included using a few guidelines and the USDA database.  Held in 2010, and sponsored in part by the Kentucky Children's Health and Fitness Fund (KCHFF), the winners were honored last September in Washington, DC by members of the White House staff, the USDA, and the Judges. The winning Apps had great titles like: Smash Your Food, Crunch Time and Pick Chow, which allows kids to pick and drag their food onto a plate. Another Judge's favorite was Snack Neutralizer which shows the consequences of caloric intake, by examining what extensive exertion would be needed to achieve a healthy balance. One example: It would take climbing 293 stairs to burn off a dish of chocolate.

These amazing apps will be shown in two separate locations during the Festival's dual days. KCHFF's Executive Director, Jan Winter even sent us issues of their Fit4Fun Reader, chock full of great information that will keep kids and families on track. GA/GI  is proud to be hosting Pittsburgh's first look at the work of  these nationally recognized technology innovators! Stay posted to this blog as we update our events schedule with specific times and details.