NBA all-star point guard Chris Paul already has a lot going for him: He’s a regular starter for the Western All-Stars in the NBA’s annual All-Star game, he’s generated a very comfortable living with big-money contracts and lucrative sponsorship deals, and he’s leading a team (the Los Angeles Clippers) that has a legitimate chance to compete for this year’s NBA title. That being said, he’s not the first person you’d expect to make tech-related headlines, but he’s done exactly that with the launch of a new app entitled “Game Vision By Chris Paul”. While celebrity-themed apps aren’t exactly novel these days, Paul claims his app will actually provide major athletic benefits to its users. He collaborated with a neuroscience tech firm named InnoVision Labs to develop the app which aims to help athletes from all corners of the sports world in improving their visual and response proficiency.
After installing the app for the first time, users are greeted with a brief video message from Paul himself, urging them to use the app for at least “three times a week” in order to properly “power your vision”. Afterwards, the user is transferred to the individual level screens, which list the potential rewards for clearing a given level as well as the objectives they’ll face within each. Occasionally, the user receives additional messages from Paul as they progress through the game, where he discusses the upcoming obstacles and how they enhance the user’s athletic abilities. The levels themselves are relatively simple in scope, usually involving tasks aimed at improving visual dexterity and response time (e.g. destroying various layers of bricks).
Upon completing each level, the user receives a final score tally based on their performance, as well as rewards corresponding to whatever scoring threshold they may have met. If the user fails to perform particularly well in a given level, they’ll receive a “Level Failed” notification along with an option to replay the previous stage. Level performance is rated using a star system ( la Angry Birds), and users that achieve a three-star rating will receive special “CP3” tokens. The tokens can be used to enter monthly sweepstakes–the current contest offers a trip for 2 to meet Chris Paul in person–or purchase a number of other in-app prizes. Star ratings also provide another form of in-game currency (appropriately titled “rocks”), which players can then use to purchase certain boosters that will help them clear particularly challenging levels. As is typical for most free-to-play games, players have the option to purchase more “rocks” with actual money, should the need arise. For anyone curious enough to check the app out for themselves, it’s now available to download on the Google Play Store.
