A UNLV business student funded a $5,000 Kickstarter project—a pig-themed mobile gaming app that uses competitive instincts to help fight obesity rates in children and young adults —in just 15 hours.
UNLV senior Greg J. Wingert Jr. funded his “Battle Pig” project in less than a day. The concept started to take off after he spent time doodling a cartoon pig during a lecture.
The concept won first place at a Google Startup Weekend. After that, the team launched it onto Kickstarter.
“The success of our Kickstarter on our first day was very exciting. We are planning very big things for the future,” said Wingert. “We want to create a game people will love, while also helping them lead healthier lives. The more funding and backers we receive, the better the game will become.”
The game encourages users to work out alongside a piglet-warrior companion. Players can choose workouts, exercise and level as they progress. Users can also battle their friends’ pig counterpart.
The Kickstarter collected a total of $5,036 from 31 backers in the 15-hour time period. More goals have been set for the project on Kickstarter. The initial level is set at $10,000. Wingert has also gathered a team of young entrepreneurs to bring the game to life.
The team consists of Wingert, the group’s leader—a senior in UNLV’s marketing program; Leonard Madarang, a University of Oregon computer science graduate; Kevin Curry, a senior accounting major at UNLV; and Gracie Wingert, Greg’s sister and the group’s graphic designer.
Henderson a top 10 destination
Henderson hit #7 on the list of the top 10 growth cities for 2015. The rankings are determined by net gain of incoming one-way U-Haul truck rentals against outgoing rentals for 2015.
“Henderson is the second-largest city in Nevada, but second to none in our quality of life,” said Andy Hafen, mayor of Henderson. “We are a community that draws families, retirees, busy professionals and entrepreneurs interested in living, learning, working and playing in a forward-thinking, inclusive and vibrant community.”
U-Haul stores across Henderson tallied 52.1 percent of truck rental customers coming into the city over leaving.
Finishing ahead of Henderson were College Station, Texas; Chicago; Madison, Wisc.; Austin, Tex. U-Haul has yet to reveal the top two destinations.
Henderson had a 6 percent gain in a year-over-year analysis. And departures are down 2 percent.
According to a release by U-haul, Henderson is located near three of the most popular man-made attractions in the world: Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and the Las Vegas Strip.
“We’re proud that we are able to offer our residents outstanding master-planned communities, diverse educational opportunities and an array of family-friendly cultural and recreational experiences,” Hafen said. “I’m proud to live in America’s premier community.”
U-Haul trends don’t correlate directly to population or economic growth, U-Haul said in a release. The report was compiled of 1.7 million one-way truck transactions from 2015. Every city was considered regardless of its size.
Color Run is back
The 5K Color Run will light up the streets of Downtown Las Vegas on Feb. 27 with its Tropicolor-themed run. A portion of the proceeds will also benefit Three Square Food Bank.
“We are excited to share The Color Run Tropicolor World Tour with our runners and can’t wait to bring this event to cities across the world,” said Travis Snyder, founder of The Color Run. “We hope that all our Color Runners will be able to step into paradise with us and enjoy a 5k vacation that only The Color Run can create.”
This is the fifth year of operation for the race and more than 5 million runners have crossed the Color Run’s finish lines since its inception in 2012. Color Run swept through the U.S. with 53 events in the first year. There are now more than 230 events in 39 countries. In 2016, Color Run anticipates it will be in more than 40 countries.
Runners of all ages and athletic ability race across a tropical array of colors and island scents. Runners will head through palm trees, arches and festive music throughout the race. After the race, there is a celebration at the Rainbow Beach, where they will find music, dancing and photo opportunities.
Race entries start at $34.99 with options for children as well.
