UPDATED 11:08 EST / AUGUST 15 2011

Saving Obese Kids with Virtual Goods

When it comes to combined digital commerce and advertising platforms, Live Gamer is among the world’s first to make it  in the interactive entertainment industry.   Live Gamer has announced today its new customer, FunGoPlay as well as its enhancements and updates to its Elements microtransactions platform, which includes subscription and physical goods support.

FunGoPlay, a humorous and light-hearted online sports game for kids ages 6-11, is a virtual sports theme park for online and mobile platforms that separates itself from all other virtual worlds with its “connected” sports gear.

With FunGoPlay’s feature,  it aims to bridge online and physical activity among children, and in a way, help address the growing rate of overweight and obese children in America and throughout the globe.  This will benefit the enhanced Live Gamer Elements platforms to carry out subscriptions, microtransactions, digital and physical bundles together with the purchasing of FunGoPlay’s connected sports gear.

Technology advancement is really a big advantage nowadays.  It makes life a lot easier, comfortable and convenient.  However, not all advancements, innovations and developments in technology always have good effects for us.  Children for instance spend less time playing “real” outdoor games because they already have a high degree of satisfaction in their gaming devices.  Studies show that the result is an increase amongst child obesity levels, with FunGoPlay hoping to reverse the negative affects of virtual gaming, combining the good aspects of offline and online worlds.

“Live Gamer’s Elements platform was the perfect solution to meet our vision of connecting sports play with an online world that provides rewards for physical activity,” said Steven Lerner, CEO of FunGoPlay. “As kids increasingly grow up in a connected world, we have an opportunity to deliver a new form of entertainment that integrates a unique digital content platform with a traditional sports play pattern. Live Gamer has played an integral role in making this happen.”

Live Gamer’s latest team-up is an interesting juxtaposition of real and virtual spaces, crossing at a cause to encourage physical activity.  But this isn’t the only way in which virtual environments are segueing deeper into the physical realm. Another development just last week in the virtual goods space is the free coffee offering for Starbucks’ cards.   Truly, the convenience in social payments and physical goods are taking its trend right now.  As a matter of fact,  even Facebook is using the advantage of virtual goods market for their games, a central aspect of their platform.

With regards to micropayment systems, yes, this development has also been a big help in managing our busy schedules.  The convenience of paying right on our smartphones is a genius idea.  With just your mobile phone, you can pay your bills anywhere, anytime – at your convenience, with companies like Payfone adding partners to further their own goals as well.  But the industry is still new, and faces a few obstacles before going mainstream.  Aside from circumventing patent woes, there’s also security matters, and this affects every party involved, from the developer to end-user levels.


A message from John Furrier, co-founder of SiliconANGLE:

Your vote of support is important to us and it helps us keep the content FREE.

One click below supports our mission to provide free, deep, and relevant content.  

Join our community on YouTube

Join the community that includes more than 15,000 #CubeAlumni experts, including Amazon.com CEO Andy Jassy, Dell Technologies founder and CEO Michael Dell, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger, and many more luminaries and experts.

“TheCUBE is an important partner to the industry. You guys really are a part of our events and we really appreciate you coming and I know people appreciate the content you create as well” – Andy Jassy

THANK YOU