Feb 2018 v01 online

I started researching in 2011, but didn’t build
the first version until December 2015. I’ve done
a hell of a lot of testing with both kids and
parents, and what we realise is that the kids are
excited that they could have a combination of
play together with what they loved – the digital
stimulation. You often hear about “screen
addiction”. The question seems to come up
more and more; what would a healthy
relationship with tech look like? How many
hours should you spend on your computer and
your phone? Does it impact on your social life
or your relationships with other people? We’re
really struggling with these questions, especially
for kids and teenagers. Some parents, without
understanding how Magical Park works, may
have thought we’re contributing to screen
addiction, but the way I see it is that we’re
creating healthy relationships with tech. If
they're not exercising otherwise, then this is
something where we can make it fun and they're
not noticing how much exercising they do;
between 700m and 2km per 30-45-minute
game! They do it to play the game, and not
because Mum said you have to go outside and
exercise.
A lot of people get confused between VR and
AR, and now there’s Mixed Reality as well, and
it is becoming quite complex. We chose AR
because, basically, VR is a 100% synthetic
environment, and augmented reality is a
combination of reality overlaid with graphics.
Unlike AR, VR requires a headset, and running
around outside with a headset on is just too
dangerous.
to keep her away from streets, in a flat
environment where she can’t trip over things;
ideally a big, safe, open park space. That’s pretty
much what we started working with.
Magical Park, our main product, is subscribed
to by the councils, and it is “activated” in one
of their parks as a digital playground. A
traditional playground is designed for kids
three to seven years old; at that age, there’s no
problem getting kids to go out and play. It’s
once they start losing interest in the
playgrounds that we’re having problems. The
councils have got a responsibility to their
community to make sure that they stay healthy
and enjoy their park spaces as much as possible
– if the community doesn’t use their park
spaces, eventually they are being replaced. So,
for councils to attract families to park spaces,
they constantly need to offer something.
Sometimes it's events, physical playgrounds, or
skateboard parks, but the beauty of an AR
playground is that a council can have a field that
is used for rugby on the weekend, but they can
also have a Magical Park there because it
doesn’t require installation or take up space like
a traditional attraction. Also, comparatively, it
doesn’t cost much because there’s no hard
materials at work. For the councils, we are really
trying to provide families a reason to go out to
the park and not stay in their backyard.
Also, as a step-parent, my first thought was “If
I have her running around with a device, I want