While interest may vary from player to player, all of the young twentysomething athletes entering professional sports leagues today have grown up in a world where video games are both common and increasingly popular. As former National Football League linebacker Hunter Hillenmeyer points out, their lifestyles and tendencies often make them ideal video game players. "Athletes are young, they're super competitive, and they have a lot of free time and disposable income," he told Mac|Life in a recent interview. "They're the perfect demographic for gamers."

Hillenmeyer, who spent the bulk of his NFL career with the Chicago Bears (2003-2010) after playing college ball at Vanderbilt, knows this in part because he saw video games enrapture teammates after the Bears installed a players lounge packed with gaming consoles. He also knows this because he is the president and co-founder of OverDog, a startup that aims to connect pro athletes with their fans through video games, all via an iOS app. Using the app, athletes will be able to send out a challenge video to fans, with subscribers allowed to enter for a chance to play against the star online within minutes.

Today, OverDog launched a Kickstarter campaign to try and raise $100,000 in funding to publicly launch the app later this year, though any backers who help push the campaign over its goal will have the best chance to game against star athletes during a closed beta period beginning in April.

OverDog began life in the early summer of 2012, as Hillenmeyer and co-founder and CEO Steve Berneman took the reins from Pro Player Connect, a company that would find off-the-field income opportunities for athletes. While in the past this typically meant traditional, costly, and time-consuming activities like speaking engagements and autograph signings, the pair sought to create something faster and fresher. "We were trying to find a better, more efficient, and more fun way to connect athletes and fans," explains Hillenmeyer, who earned his MBA while still playing for the Bears. "What grew out of that was OverDog."

Many athletes are already skilled gamers, pairing their competitive edge with the free time afforded by lengthy off-seasons and other breaks in the action, and some use their social networking accounts to boast of such abilities. Soon they can put those supposed skills to the test against OverDog members, which gives fans a chance to connect with athletes on a more level playing field. "Athletes get it," says Hillenmeyer (pictured below). "So many athletes love video games. We're not asking them to do something that they're not already doing."

And simplicity is key, both for busy athletes and their fans. For athletes, playing on OverDog affords them the chance to make some supplemental income, but that's not likely to be enough of a sole driving factor if there's a lot of hassle involved. As such, the OverDog team has been working to make the process of connecting with a fan as streamlined and speedy as possible via the app. "We're doing everything we can to not turn something fun – something that they love – into work," adds Hillenmeyer.

When the app is live, a registered athlete will be able to record a quick challenge video for the console game of their choice on platforms like Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, including hit sports franchises such as Madden NFL and NBA 2K, but also others like Call of Duty and Need for Speed. Doing so will send a push notification to subscribers, as well as appear on the athlete's Twitter, Facebook, and OverDog feeds. From there, subscribers can opt in for a chance to play against the athlete almost immediately, with the planned turnaround between an issued challenge and the start of the game being only a few minutes.

Only one user will actually get to play the athlete per challenge, though, which is part of the reason for choosing a Kickstarter campaign to limit the initial user base. In the initial beta version, that will be the full extent of the experience: many users put their names in for a chance to play against a pro, and anyone not picked is sadly out of luck. With the platform closed off to a smaller group for three months, those early users will have a better opportunity to be the one selected.

But the public release, planned to launch later this year with monthly subscription plans in tow, aims to deliver additional interaction options beyond simply playing an athlete, such as potentially spectating a match or chatting with the athlete. With those additional features in play, OverDog may then feel less like a series of yes/no gambles and more like a community of athletes and fans connected by a shared interest in online video games.

With the Kickstarter campaign, OverDog hopes to pull prospective users in with a wide array of backing options, including three-month subscriptions during the beta period for $15, or longer subscriptions through the end of 2013 for $20 or $25, depending on how quickly they sign up. Those more invested in the concept can grab a lifetime subscription ($150), a scheduled game of your choice with a player from your favorite pro team plus a membership ($1000), or an online match-up with Madden NFL 13 cover athlete Calvin Johnson in his own game ($7500).

Beyond the campaign, though, the public release will focus on allowing any user the opportunity to win a chance to play against a pro, with no additional fee for playing beyond the standard subscription plan. "We've avoided the push to turn athlete connections into a luxury item. We've always believed that our strongest potential is to remain democratic, low-cost, and open to the public," explains Berneman (pictured below). "That's not changed and, I think it's why we're so popular with athletes."

The app plans to launch with about 100 participating athletes to start, with noted players David Price from the Tampa Bay Rays, Chris Kluwe from the Minnesota Vikings, and John Thorrington from the D.C. United on the startup's advisory board, plus many other well-known athletes – like NFL stars Kahlil Bell and Corey Graham – appearing in the Kickstarter pitch video in mock challenge clips. Stars from the NFL, Major League Baseball (MLB), National Basketball Association (NBA), National Hockey League (NHL), and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) are all on the docket, as well as an Olympic gold medalist. "We've proven enough of the interest for both athletes and fans," claims Hillenmeyer. "As long as we deliver a great experience, then I think it's going to be fantastic for everyone."

OverDog is expected to debut in the App Store in April, though only Kickstarter backers – assuming the campaign is successfully funded – will be able to utilize the service for the first three months prior to the public release. The Kickstarter campaign is live now and runs through March 29.