Summers in Starkville can sometimes lack excitement, but on one particularly slow day in town, two Mississippi State University students took it upon themselves to create an app designed for sports lovers and gamers to connect. 

Zach Thomas, senior computer science major, and Roop Saini, senior software engineering major, are the creators behind the newest sports app, GoPlay—a social networking app available on iOS and Android that allows people in the same area who like the same sports to connect.

Saini and Thomas said the idea is to make it as easy as possible for the user to setup an impromptu sporting event. 

“When a user creates a game of football, for example, it sends out a push notification to everyone within a 40 mile radius that has the app and likes football,” Saini said. “Other players can then join that game, chat and get to know each other. The app also allows users to set the location and time for the event, so everyone in the same group stays up-to-date about the latest game.”

Saini is responsible for the development and maintenance for both Android and iOS. He also performs server side scripting, as well as administering the app database and ensuring the app remains stable and clean. 

Thomas’s role in developing the app is quality assurance and web development. His goal is to make sure the app functions as expected and is user-friendly. 

Saini and Thomas said the creation of the app came with challenges as well as rewards. 

“The biggest challenge for me was learning the new technologies and languages involved in native Android and iOS development,” Saini said. “Creating a cross-platform, scalable push notification server was one of the biggest implementation challenges.” 

Thomas said the biggest reward gained from the app’s creation has been the feedback from friends and family.

“The lack of a group to play sports with on-demand is a problem that everyone we’ve talked to has experienced,” Thomas said. “We hope our app is the link that connects these people together.” 

GoPlay is currently available in Android and iOS devices via app stores. Saini and Thomas said the app is just the beginning of their innovative ideas to come.

“We have a few other ideas for apps in the future. We are excited to see where GoPlay goes, but we’re also excited for possible future endeavors in mobile gaming and other social networks,” Saini said.