You have 90 seconds to take out the long-clawed evil boss STW, while you have to evade, not bullets, but burgers and cola loaded with calories to make you fatter. Go over 5,000 calories… you die. Game over.

Fooya, from Silicon Valley-based FriendsLearn, can be played on smartphones and tablets, with a focus on health and wellness, especially calorific judiciousness.

The game, which can be downloaded free from the Google Play store, was available as a Facebook application, can now be played on Android phones, and on Apple’s iOS software.

Founder and CEO Bhargav Sri Prakash said, “Healthcare advising can be done through varied media – documentaries, movies, and even lectures. But they are not scalable. And children don’t want be told things. They want an opportunity to learn for themselves. Games also offer a continuously evolving platform. ”

After a venture to provide computer simulations to assist automotive companies improve fuel efficiency, Sri Prakash hit upon the concept of informing through gaming. Following a game project for the US Department of State to introduce international students to the curricula and infrastructure of universities in the US, Sri Prakash embarked on Fooya. He, along with a 15-member team, built the game in six months.

Sri Prakash plans to scale up his project as a free-for-all, ad-supported platform. In that direction, FriendsLearn has tied up with an organic meat products company based in California. The company’s brand will figure in the game, “probably as a power-up” option. This way, the company aims to earn its revenue. A crowd funding campaign in June helped the firm shore up $50,000.

bharani.v@thehindu.co.in

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