Children’s game fosters entrepreneurship

Osmo Play is a new game for children which combines touchscreen technology with physical play, leading them to understand what goes into running a business.

The global education technology sector, or edtech, is set to reach GBP 129 billion by 2020. Springwise has looked at a number of educational games for children that have technology at their core, combining it with physical play. To take two such examples, a toy that allows children to programme a soft ball and invent their own games, and a motion sensing wearable device that can be programmed into a light saber! Now, demonstrating a development on this theme is educational game-maker Osmo’s new game, Pizza Co.

Osmo Play is designed to be played using an iPad and comes with an attachment that fits over the camera, so that it can view the table in front of it. It combines touchscreen game play with real world objects and physical activities in front of the screen. It’s latest application, Pizza Co. allows children to set up their own restaurant and begin trading with virtual customers and physical components, which include a pizza pan and different toppings. CEO Pramod Sharma and Jérôme Scholler, both formerly at Google, compare the new game to a virtual lemonade stand. The idea is to foster entrepreneurship. The game attempts to mimic the reality of running a business, and children who are successful are rewarded with increased spending on upgrades like nicer decorations or a faster-working pizza oven.

The main game is designed for kids 7-12, and there’s a “junior” setting for 5-6 years. Could this combination of physical and virtual play be used to train adults?