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Game Your Video: the name does not really encompass what it is or what it does. Essentially, it’s a video editor that allows for effects to be added on the fly. Instagram-esque filters can be added to the video, allowing for a colorful faux-retro look, including black & white and sepia-toned effects. Then, a variety of effects can be added to the video as it plays, and this is where the Game part of the title comes in. Sets of four buttons appear at the bottom of the screen, with additional effects available by swiping on the bottom of the screen, and users activate the effects exactly when they want them at that point in the video. Effects include slow-mo, shake, ghosting echo effects, rapid zooming, pixeliization, and more. Users can also add audio effects, and add their own voice or songs from their library to the video.

Most impressively, these effects aren’t just things that can be addeed to videos already in the Camera Roll. No, Game Your Video wcan add these effects live to videos being recorded directly in the app itself, even on the iPod touch 4th generation. The app’s focus on adding effects on the fly gives it a different entertainment quality than other apps that are primarily about post-processing. Videos can be shared with Facebook and YouTube, and saved to the Camera Roll.

The app is sadly not universal, which is a disappointment because the iPad 2 does have a camera, after all. It isn’t possible to edit the effects in videos recorded live. The interface seems to make it hard to get back to the main menu from recording a video live without quitting the app and clearing it out from the multitasking bar. It’s possible to view other people’s videos shared with the service, but it’s never really explained how to share videos within the app this way. In fact, many of the icons in the app are never quite clear as to what their function is.

Game Your Video’s live video effects make it a very interesting app; for those looking for the Instagram of videos, this might just be it. It’s certainly an entertaining use of $0.99.