ROME, Ga., Nov. 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Software company Downcast Systems aims to bring video games into the real world by augmenting classic card and board games with new rules through the use of mobile phones and tablets as virtual "game pieces."

"It's an experiment," says Dave Haynes, software developer and founder of Downcast Systems LLC. "Most mobile games are designed for solitary play, and even when they have a multi-player mode it still means there's one person sitting alone on each end. I set out to create a virtual 'game piece' that would allow multiple people to play a game at the same time, but also be able to interact with the same device."

Downcast Systems' first experiment is an app called Christmas Crazy Eights. Playable on iOS devices and most Android phones and tablets, Christmas Crazy Eights was designed from the ground up to be used as a virtual add-on for the real life card game of Crazy Eights, and, in fact, requires a standard deck of 52 playing cards in order to use it.

On a player's turn, he must tap the screen to "open a present." This reveals additional rules that alter the standard card game, like forcing a player to draw cards, lose a turn, or even sing a few verses of a Christmas song.

"I haven't seen anything like this in the app stores. I just don't know whether that's a good thing or a bad thing!" laughs Haynes. "I wanted to do this with Crazy Eights first because it's a game with simple rules that a lot of people (young and old) really enjoy. I wanted to create a game an entire family could play together -- from very young children all the way up to great-grandparents."

When pressed for details on future plans, Haynes would only say that the next game would probably be another card game add-on, with the one after that being an add-on for a popular board game. "There are companies I'm looking to partner with on some of these ideas, and there are some major hurdles to overcome. It's all hard work, but work has never been so much fun!"

Christmas Crazy Eights can be purchased from the App Store or Android Market for US$.99.

App Store:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/christmas-crazy-eights/id477264229

Android Market:
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.downcastsystems.xmascrazy8s

More details on Christmas Crazy Eights and other Downcast Systems apps can be found at http://downcastsystems.com.

For more information on this topic, please contact Dave Haynes at 678-223-3566, or email Dave at dave.haynes(at)downcastsystems(dot)com.

This press release was issued through eReleases(R).  For more information, visit eReleases Press Release Distribution at http://www.ereleases.com.

SOURCE Downcast Systems LLC