LOONEY LABS INTRODUCES ECOFLUXX

Innovative Card Game Educates Players, Benefits Environmental Causes

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Contact: Looney Labs at (301) 441-1019
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College Park, MD – Looney Labs is proud to announce the release of EcoFluxx, an exciting ecological-themed card game, based on its best-selling family card game, Fluxx. Proceeds from the sales of EcoFluxx will be donated to a wide range of smaller environmental organizations.

Fluxx is an award-winning card game of ever-changing rules. It starts out simply enough, with the rules ‘Draw a card, Play a card.’ Each player can change the rules of the game by playing New Rules cards. Action cards expand the play further, allowing one-time events to shake the game up. Goals define the winning conditions, such as a number of cards in your hand, or a certain set of Keepers, cards that are placed in front of the player. Players change the rules and goals of the game, and the game evolves into something different every time.

This evolution seemed an ideal parallel to Alison Looney, who developed the EcoFluxx variant. “In Fluxx, the many Goal cards link the Keepers together in different ways. This reminded me of the natural world, with organisms all interconnected by the food chain, by family groupings, by symbiotic relationships,” said Ms. Looney, “It was easy to adapt Fluxx to an ecological theme.”

EcoFluxx takes the basic game and expands on it, making for an enjoyable teaching tool. EcoFluxx Keepers are environmentally based, such as Sunshine and Snakes. Goals are then cards such as Basking, teaching the players a little about what Snakes do when lying in the Sunshine. Learning about life sciences ceases to be a chore, and instead becomes integrated with an innovative game.

“It’s a fun, educational card game that will teach children—and their parents—a little about the environment,” said Andrew Looney, creative director of Looney Labs. “EcoFluxx is a game that can be played at summer camp, in the classroom, in a home school environment, or anywhere a deck of cards can go!”

Looney Labs has long supported a number of worthy causes, and the use of some of the proceeds from EcoFluxx is no exception. “We plan to pick a lot of smaller organizations,” says Kristin Looney, “groups that don't have lots of big funding and could really do something with $500—and we plan to use our website to inform our customers about what these organizations are doing with the money that we give them.” Innovative groups will be encouraged to apply for the funds and then use them in ways that will make a real difference to a local community. Looney Labs is showing its committment to local funding and change by earmarking its first donations to groups in their own local area, like the Anacostia Watershed Society and the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay.

EcoFluxx will be available in stores and on the Looney Labs website in early October 2005, with a list price of $12 per deck. Ideal for classroom and educational use, it’s also a great gift over the holiday season. Looney Labs pride themselves on running an environmentally conscious business. They accept and re-use donated packing peanuts, and use the smallest, most environmentally sensitive packaging possible for their games.

Looney Labs, designs, produces, and markets award winning, specialty card and board games. Founded in 1996 by Andy and Kristin Looney, and located in College Park, MD, this team has become well known and well loved in the gaming industry, for their innovation and unique approach, developing games that are not just creative, but encourage players to think creatively.

For more info about Looney Labs, visit http://www.looneylabs.com/OurCompany/MediaCoverage/factsheet.html.

More information about EcoFluxx: http://www.wunderland.com/LooneyLabs/EcoFluxx/

More info on the EcoFluxx Foundation: http://www.looneylabs.com/ecofluxx-foundation

To request a review copy, visit http://www.looneylabs.com/OurStores/SampleDesk.html

To download high-resolution visuals, visit http://www.looneylabs.com/Resources/

To arrange an interview with Alison Looney (developer of EcoFluxx) or Andrew Looney (designer of the original Fluxx game), or to obtain a review copy, please contact Looney Labs at (301) 441-1019, or Stephanie Clarkson in Toronto at (416) 725-8651.