This Video Game *Makes* You Go Outside
Video games are awesome, but unfortunately they tend to keep kids from being active or from getting out and enjoying the great outdoors… and kidsneed to get out and move. Hybrid Play is a new device that’s currently campaigning for funds on Indiegogo, and it’s an incredible fusion of virtual gaming and real-life adventure. The founders, a couple from Valencia, Spain, wanted something for their children to promote physical activity, verbal communication and teamwork; Hybrid Play promises to do all of that, and we’re hoping some of these kids will let us play, too.
Unlike other physical video games like the Wii, this actually brings the gaming outside into the fresh air. It includes a smartphone app, where the virtual game is played, and a sturdy clip-on device that adapts to urban environments like playgrounds. You clip that wireless sensor onto a swing or a slide or other playground equipment, and the sensor picks up the movement and translates it into a movement within the digital game.
If a child is going down a slide, that could translate into a jump inside the game. Or if a child is swinging on the swings, that might translate to running in the game. Kids play the game with friends, so it promotes cooperation, too. Their pals have to give them instructions like higher/lower/faster/slower to help keep them in the game. In addition to the basics, the Hybrid Play Kit is a creative platform, so families can create their own hybrid video games as well. And it’s an open-source platform, so they are encouraging developers to create new games and devices using the same technology.
The Indiegogo campaign runs until November 28. A $99 contribution will get you one of the first Hybrid Play devices, which should be shipped sometime next spring. $29 gets you a T-shirt and $124 gets you the full Hybrid Play Kit where you can create your own games.
Do you know of any other active video games like this? Let us know in the comments!
