A carrot chase.

Our newest health game has been in the works for almost two years now. Remember when I blogged about the garden gopher monster back in 2009? Well we’re excited to announce that we have a new game coming out based on this initial concept. It’s an adventure game called V for Vegetable, and it’s going to be a-maze-ing (pun intended)!

The story.

Runner Bean Bunny’s prized possession, a Colossal Carrot, has been stolen by the lazy Hippobros. Help Runner Bean Bunny infiltrate their garden labyrinth, reclaim the Colossal Carrot, and escape before the Hippobros catch up. To locate the Colossal Carrot, use the vegetables for energy while avoiding the non-vegetables which can make you fat and slow. To escape with the Colossal Carrot, quickly follow and collect the bonus carrots which can be turned in for upgrades in the next level.

For the next month or so, I’ll be giving you a sneak peek as we design V for Vegetable. You’ll get exclusive access to concept art, character profiles, and more. Be prepared to be a-mazed!

Rock the vote!

Back in June we told you about our super cool Pyramid Pile Up Plus game (that’s Pyramid Pile Up with some major extras) that was entered into the Apps for Healthy Kids Competition, sponsored by Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” campaign and the USDA in an effort to fight childhood obesity.  The day has finally arrived for you to VOTE for Playnormous!

Only one of the 98 games can win the People’s Choice Award so we need YOUR help by VOTING for us!

Plus means more cool stuff.

Why should you vote for OUR health game?  Well that’s because it’s the only Playnormous game in the competition of course!  Ok, ok, I’ll be a little more specific.  Here’s a little bit about the game and the top ten reasons you should vote for us.

1. Pyramid Pile Up Plus is available in both English AND Spanish!
2. You now get Food Labels to help you decide which foods should go in which spaces!
3. You still get to play against those cute yet pesky Chompies–flying squirrel monsters that fall from the sky to munch on your work as you fill in an empty pyramid with food tiles.
4. You’ll actually learn something like what discretionary calories are and the difference between whole grains and refined.
5. Pyramid Pile Up Plus is loaded with secret bonus point opportunities such as adding a variety of fruits and dark green veggies to your pyramid.
6. You can show your friends how amazing you are by getting a top spot on our high score list.
7. Pyramid Pile Up Plus is teacher-friendly and comes complete with classroom materials like a teacher guide, classroom activities, and student assessments.
8. There’s a super cool poster you can print with information about MyPyramid.
9. The game is fun and addicting!
10. Votes for Pyramid Pile Up Plus means we may actually win…which means more notoriety for Playnormous and a cash prize…which means funding for more games!!  Yaaaaay for more games!!

About apps for healthy kids.

Apps for Healthy Kids challenges software developers, game designers, students, and other innovators to develop fun and engaging software tools and games that drive children, especially “tweens” (ages 9-12) – directly or through their parents – to eat better and be more physically active.  Winners of the competition will receive a monetary prize and will be featured in the national campaign.  The public can vote on their favorite game and tool by visiting the competition website: www.appsforhealthykids.com. Public voting ends August 14, 2010 at 12:00 pm EDT.

Vote for Pyramid Pile Up Plus today!!

Now fortified and enriched.

When we heard that the USDA and the White House were holding a health games competition, we knew our name was written all over it. After all, Pyramid Pile Up was already using USDA databases and information from their MyPyramid website.  Because it’s a competition, we decided to give Pyramid Pile Up a slight makeover.

Introducing Pyramid Pile Up Plus!

Pyramid Pile Up Plus is a puzzle game many of you may be familiar with.  As with Pyramid Pile Up, you play against the Chompies to fill up a pyramid of healthy foods.  What makes Pyramid Pile Up Plus a “plus” is two-fold:

• Pyramid Pile Up Plus delivers health information to players using two USDA databases, FNDDS 3.0 and MyFoodapedia.
• Starting in level 2, scrolling over food tiles reveals nutrition labels.  Now it’s even easier to make healthier choices by choosing foods that are low in fat, saturated fat, and sugar.
• Pyramid Pile Up Plus is available in both English and Spanish.  ¡Olé!

Wow!  So fun!  You’ll only find Pyramid Pile Up Plus for this competition so play now or watch the video. You can vote for your favorite healthy kid app and game starting July 14.  We hope you enjoy Pyramid Pile Up Plus and want to vote for Playnormous!

About the Apps for Healthy Kids Competition.

The Apps for Healthy Kids competition is a part of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign to end childhood obesity within a generation. Apps for Healthy Kids challenges software developers, game designers, students, and other innovators to develop fun and engaging software tools and games that drive children, especially “tweens” (ages 9-12) – directly or through their parents – to eat better and be more physically active. Tools and games should be built using the USDA nutrition dataset recently made available to the public through the Open Government Initiative.

It’s hip, it’s cool, it’s in a box!

For the last few months I’ve consistently received requests from our amazing fans–kids, parents, and teachers alike–for Playnormous health games on CD-ROM.  I am proud to announce that the day has finally come for the RELEASE of Playnormous In A Box!  That’s right, you can get all of your favorite Playnormous health games delivered to your doorstep.  For those of you who haven’t thought about the benefits of having a disc of Playnormous games for your very own, here are our top 10 reasons that we think you should order a copy:

1. No Internet required to play. That’s right, whether your Internet is dinosaur slow or you work at a school with strict firewalls, you’ll be able to play our games all day long without the need for a high speed connection.  Hurray!!
2. Read the new Playnormous storybook. Want to find out how the Playnormous world came to be? This is your chance to read our Playnormous digital storybook “Zack and Lil.”  Did they just go up a hill?  You’ll have to get the disc to find out!
3. An amazing icon for your desktop. With the Playnormous CD-ROM, you can download the games right to your very own desktop.  No more clicking around to play your favorite game.  Just double click on our amazing Playnormous Monster icon and you’re ready to play.
4. Full of wacky sound effects. Entertain yourself for hours by clicking around the Playnormous world to hear crazy sound effects.  Make trees fall from the sky with a thump or tickle Chicken Dawg to make him squawk!
5. Track own high scores. You no longer have to type in your high score only to find it doesn’t make the top ten.  Create a high score list all your own and see how you progress.
6. Great game guides. Read and print out our new, colorful game guides for teachers and parents.  They’re full of gameplay hints, cheats, and places to go for more health information.
7. It works for Apple and PC. Can’t decide between Gates and Jobs?  You no longer have to choose or buy two copies of the same software.  The Playnormous CD-ROM works on both Mac and Windows operating systems.
8. Put monsters in your pocket. It’s all about being compact these days, and the Playnormous CD-ROM fits the bill. We’ve made your favorite monsters completely portable from school to home to grandma’s house.  Get a copy so you can take Professor Mad Monster, Lunch Lady, Chompy, Chicken Dawg, and Tiki wherever you travel.
9. It’s affordable. Usually when you purchase something from a software developer you’ll pay an arm and a leg.  Not for the Playnormous CD-ROM!  It’s a great low price of $14.99, perfectly priced for persnickety pocketbooks. Just click on our order form and you’re on your way.
10. It’s cool because it’s in a box. Every little kid knows boxes are fun and amazing.  And this one is super amazing because it was designed by our very talented Playnormous artists.  Don’t miss out on having your very own Playnormous games in a box!

Shopping isn’t aerobic, but it sure is fun!

If our CD-ROM sale is anything like our T-shirt sale, I predict that our first batch of discs is going to go very quickly.  So get your amazing copy of the Playnormous Health Video Games CD-ROM; it’s only available on the Playnormous website store.  Check it out today!

Oh, and even if you don’t have any spare change, check out the store anyway.  The whole left hand column is full of FREE stuff like posters and recipe cards!

Great Giza!

It’s been over a year since our last health game release. That’s just way too long!  But don’t fret, we have a brand spankin’ new game up and running just in time for the holidays.  Play Pyramid Pile Up, a strategy nutrition game designed to teach you all about the food groups.  Learn what foods go in which categories, the benefits of whole grain and low fat, and what discretionary calories are.

Chomp down the competition.

Unlike all other Playnormous games, Pyramid Pile Up is not a timed game.  That means it’s all about strategy, kind of like a game of chess if you will, in which you have a limited number of moves to fill your pyramid with the correct foods.  Who’s your opponent?  Why the Chompy brothers of course!  They’re hungry, flying squirrel monsters that are determined to gobble up every food tile in sight.  If one makes it to the bottom of the pyramid before you squish it, Chompy wins.

Try your best food stacking strategy today by playing Pyramid Pile Up, available only on Playnormous.com.