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• Fitment game

Burlington resident Samara Fantie, 30, grew up gaming. She's partial to action-adventure games such as Doom and Metal Gear Solid. As the cofounder and chief creative officer of game studio Glossbird, however, her work revolves around a floppy-eared dog named Monroe and a sweatsuit-clad cat named Ollie — "fitbuddies" who lead players through a series of exercises, such as arm circles, crunches and jumping jacks. Fitment, Glossbird's fitness-oriented mobile app, is part of a genre of "cozy games" — low on conflict and characterized by a friendly, soothing tone.

Glossbird is one of nine companies participating in Silicon Valley venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz's Talent x Opportunity Fall Cohort, a business accelerator that comes with $100,000 in funding. The 16-week program, which started in August, includes training and mentorship and is meant to help entrepreneurs build successful and sustainable companies.

Fantie, who previously taught in American University's game design master's program and has lived in Vermont since 2020, is also hard at work perfecting Fitment, which is available to download but is still in prototype form. The game is designed to help people incorporate "micro-workouts," from one to five minutes long, into their day. Some activities can be done while sitting in a chair. Others involve stretching.

"You're not going to get swole doing these tiny workouts," Fantie said. But studies have shown that even short bursts of activity help with mental health, she noted.

Players can choose how many times per day they want to be reminded to take a movement break. The game also allows users to collect virtual items, such as pet rocks, lava lamps and cacti, and customize characters with spiffy outfits.

"We were really inspired by Pokémon GO and the huge effect it had on the world. But not everyone can get up and walk three miles a day to catch their Pokémon," Fantie said. "This is designed for people who ... just need that extra push to get moving."

Learn more at playfitment.com.