Re-Mission devs HopeLab cause serious Ruckus
by Jason Dobson 
{ Oct 1st 2007 at 4:30PM }
DDR and the Wii have done a good job getting kids (and adults) off the couch and moving. Now HopeLab, a prominent contributer to the growing 'serious games' movement and developer of the surprisingly fun third-person cancer awareness shooter Re-Mission, has announced Ruckus Nation, a new online competition looking to award more than $300,000 for game-related product ideas designed to increase physical activity in children and young adults, with one one grand prize brainstorm netting the submitter a cool $75,000. HopeLab will develop and test one or more of these ideas, turning successful prototypes into broadly distributed serious gaming products. Individuals and teams of up to six people can register at the Ruckus Nation website until October 15, with registration limited to 1,000 teams who then have until November 20 to submit their ideas online. Semifinalists will be announced in February, with winners being called out the following month in March. Maybe we've finally found an outlet to pitch our idea for a For Your Eyes Only cross country ski trainer/FPS using the Wii Zapper and balance board.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
GRANTED @ Oct 1st 2007 5:00PM
well that's the trick isn't it. if kids wanted to be active, they used to have to go outside.
not everything should be done in front of a television screen. as for the kids that don't stay healthy cuz they loooooove video games? a new video game isn't going to fix that.
i played wii at a friends house once, and this pathetic fatass who was also there just reclined on the couch and flicked his wrist exactly the same way, beating us all in every wii sports game we played. nothing was going to make this kid do an ounce more work than he had to.
anyway i'm sure we've got more than a few no-sporters out there reading this. what does hopelab have to do to get you to burn some calories?
Crono (NDF - French Taunting from Holy Grail Ring) @ Oct 1st 2007 5:09PM
I remember going outside and playing. That was before nature decided it hated me (allergies) and before you had to put sunblock on before you went outside (skin cancer) and before neighborhoods in general became unsafe for children to play it (predators).
Its much safer, and cooler, to play an active game in front of your TV, inside.
GRANTED @ Oct 1st 2007 5:16PM
you are clearly a product of a different generation/lifestyle. i feel bad for you (not trying to be patronizing). as for me, i'll be taking advantage of this 70 degree weather as long as it lasts (not much longer here in DC). enjoy your AC.
blooh (CDF - Ass Ring) @ Oct 1st 2007 5:08PM
a cancer-awareness FPS? lol
btw jason, did you ever read the original short story of For your eyes only? it was good, unlike the movie
etoychest @ Oct 1st 2007 5:31PM
Heh, No I have not, but I'll have to track it down.
blooh (CDF - Ass Ring) @ Oct 1st 2007 5:45PM
it was in a collection of a few short stories by ian fleming. look for the books made before the 80's, they've recently used his name to write novelizations of the movies (ugh)
Kinsman @ Oct 1st 2007 5:30PM
How about an MMORPG with a real treadmill?
ThornedVenom @ Oct 2nd 2007 2:42AM
People would still ride mounts.
Derek @ Oct 1st 2007 6:27PM
Could you describe the ruckus, sir?
Rubang B (NDF - Heart) @ Oct 1st 2007 8:32PM
For Your Eyes Only? Are you kidding me? The superior Bond ski battle was obviously in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, starring George "Best Bond Ever" Lazenby! Now we must race to submit these game ideas!
blooh (CDF - Ass Ring) @ Oct 2nd 2007 11:23AM
are you sure? the one in TWiNE was pretty good too
and it feels like I'm forgetting 1 other ski race too
Jonathon @ Oct 1st 2007 10:20PM
Hi, I wrote an article that gives tips on submitting entries for the Ruckus Nation Competition.
http://www.placeintheground.com/2007/09/25/ruckus-nation-competition-we-help-you-win-75-grand/
If only I could come up with my own idea... How about... a hamburger with legs... its runs away from kids when they try and pick it up... ;-)
Jonathon
Liz @ Nov 7th 2007 2:13PM
Jonathan....I think your hamburger with legs is HILARIOUS! lol
Liz @ Nov 7th 2007 2:12PM
Do you think you have a good idea for determining which product has potential to start a movement? Register to judge and give us your opinion!
To date, hundreds of people from around the world have registered to compete in Ruckus Nation, with teams representing 63 countries and all 50 U.S. states. Now, we’re inviting you and others to serve as judges and help select winners. Ruckus Nation winners may see their ideas come to life: The best product ideas will be prototyped, tested, and broadly distributed to young people. In addition, HopeLab will award more than $300,000 in cash and prizes for winning ideas.
We're looking for people to spot the winning ideas by participating as judges. Judging is an online process that takes place in early December 2007.
To register as a judge, please visit www.ruckusnation.com and click on “Register Now” and follow the instructions to sign up as a judge. For more information on the Ruckus Nation judging process, please visit www.ruckusnation.com/judging.html.
Please note: You can not participate as a Ruckus Nation judge if you or an immediate family member has entered Ruckus Nation as a contestant.
Ruckus Nation is sponsored by HopeLab (www.hopelab.org) and cosponsored by the Pioneer Portfolio of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (www.rwjf.org).