We’ve already seen how games can increase our productivity and enlist crowd support for causes. Now, a new platform is setting out to apply the principles of gaming to innovation and social change. Yoxi (pronounced YO-see) is a creative competition and a social game, rallying teams of problem-solvers to compete against each other in solving major challenges of our time. The winner walks away with startup funds between $5,000 and $40,000, depending on community votes, and connection opportunities with thought leaders and influencers.

Part OpenIDEO, part Kickstarter, Yoxi enlists two fundamental parts of human nature — the competitive streak and the need for play — in tackling serious and complex issues, starting with reinventing fast food.

Yoxi is essentially a game of strategy. It blends traditional gaming elements like points and levels with traditional social elements like user votes in a model that’s part gaming, part crowdfunding, part collaborative problem-solving. Give it a shot.

Bonus points for an error page that made us smile.

HT @AmritRichmond