Using Mobile Devices For Physical Activity

Touchy, by Inventor Dan Zen, is an iPhone / iPod touch game available at the Apple App Store that encourages physical and social play. The rules of Touchy are simple: players try to physically touch each other's screens without letting their own screen be touched. The mobile mediated game provides a target for each device and a timer that each player activates at the same time. The more a player's screen is touched and held, the more points they lose. The player with the most points left when time is up is the winner. Game duration and player handicap can be set. Wins, ties and losses are listed and totaled. The game has been designed so that there is no need for Internet connection, making it portable to play with friends in any location.

"Most, if not all, mobile games are played in the device and it is refreshing to see players interact physically in a social manner with the aid of technology", says Zen. To ensure people understand that the game takes place in the physical world, Touchy TV has been launched where hosts commentate on videos of people playing Touchy. Featured players include people in night clubs, parents with their children, executives at conferences and kids on couches. Touchy is a game that anyone can play but it is expected that the most social impact will be with teens during school breaks to help further friendships.

Touchy has been called the "Ancient Game" where one imagines cavemen playing keep-away with a slab of meat. But Touchy is a mutual keep-away game making the play more like a sword duel where each player tries for the other's target locking them in an eternal battle. Players experience a sense of wrestling but it is agility that is being tested rather than strength. This makes playing Touchy a unique and pleasant experience, one that has surprised and delighted players of all ages. Game players put on quite the spectacle for bystanders as they express their primal urges!


The Touchy Facebook page includes the Touchy Duel application that lets users challenge friends to a game of Touchy. Many playful options are available so users can construct challenges of their choosing such as, "I, [Your Name], being tenth generation ninja, do hereby publicly challenge [Friend Name] to a game of Touchy anywhere there is pizza. I would also like [Second Friend] to attend so they can seethe with jealousy." The challenge is posted on Facebook walls to help spread news of the game. It is hoped that with the help of an enthusiastic public, Touchy will become a long-lasting beacon for creative and relevant mobile applications and spread joy to all who play.

Pricing and Availability:
Touchy 1.1 is only $0.99 USD (or equivalent amount in other currencies) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Games category.

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