A side effect of technology’s continued advancement is the impact it has on physical activity. When NFL player Braxton Miller was growing up, video games were fun but couldn’t compare to physical competition like football or basketball. Now, with hundreds of massive online multiplayer games, it can be tough for the younger generation to separate themselves from the screen to get outside and play.
“These devices and phones, they are not going away,” Miller, the Houston Texans receiver and former Ohio State quarterback, wrote in an email. “Now’s the time to act to design better games that encourage face-to-face, physical play.”
This issue is personal for Miller because his son Landon is five; the age when many kids begin playing organized sports for the first time. That is why Miller partnered with Play Impossible and its new product the Gameball. The goal of the Gameball is to tap into a youthful enthusiasm for tech that also promotes physical activity.
@play_impossible had me and my son running around for hours
… ! Who do you think won our "Roll Off" challenge?
He was definitely #CHARG1NG
after the obstacle course he made
— BRAXTON MILLER (@BraxtonMiller5) February 17, 2018
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“Kids are 30% less physically active today compared to when their grandparents were the same age,” Miller wrote. “When I was kid, playing pickup basketball or backyard football was more fun than playing video games. However, the power of social media and the quality of these digital games are so good now, I understand why kids won’t get off their butts.”
The Gameball itself is made of the same materials as a volleyball but only five inches in diameter so kids of all sizes and ages can use it. Inside the ball, there is an accelerator, a magnetometer and a Bluetooth chip for communication with a mobile device. The ball communicates with an app on Android or IOS to deliver unique games to the user.
“They have patented technology that records physics and turns it into a free game. There’s more games coming out throughout the year, but we want to add 100’s of games,” Miller wrote. “Whatever you can do with a ball, we want to turn it into a game. We can’t wait to see what people come up with.”
Digital games are what the Gameball is competing against. That is why there are plans to make it open-source so third-party developers can introduce new games and keep kids’ attention. Right now there is a mix of learning games that promote spacial awareness, and fun multiplayer games like Hot Potato.
A little over a month ago, Play Impossible entered the Gameball in the Consumer Electronic Show’s Last Gadget Standing contest. After the dust settled, the Gameball stood alone.
“Man, that was a special moment when I found out The Play Impossible team won. I wasn’t in Vegas for CES, but I was monitoring the contest closely. I’m a competitor. I love to win,” Miller wrote. “Overall, the judges they realized encouraging physical activity for kids today is real life. It needs to be done. That’s why they picked Play Impossible as the Winner. I was watching the voting contest live on Facebook and when I saw we won… I was so happy I was screaming like I just scored the winning touchdown. It was a moment. Just like the moments you have on the field.”
Play Impossible from Play Impossible on Vimeo.