Rabid brings the classic game Peekaboo into a digital format, for parents and children to play across New Zealand. We worked with a range of supporters including the Plunket Society, the Vodafone Foundation, and the SKIP team. The Peekaboo game is part of an increasing interest in digital experiences that complement the real-world physical environment.
Research indicates many New Zealand fathers do not participate well in their young kids’ educational development, and educational advisors told us that games like Peekaboo play an important part in children’s brain development. With an understanding of this challenge, we were lucky to be part of a team that adopted an iterative project approach. We worked to experiment with the concepts of a physical game in a digital context and develop a prototype as we grappled with emerging ideas.
Bringing a popular activity online is always challenging and kids can be the most ruthless critics of all! The major insight has been the ability of modern devices to bring images of childrens’ own whanau into the game. A game with parents and friends is hugely exciting for young people and we discovered a fair few adults enjoyed the experience too.
We settled on a cross-platform HTML5 build of an application. It is targeted at as many tablet devices as feasible to maximise the reach to as many New Zealand families as possible.
The game’s simplicity has really shone through in excellent results from user-testing, and the unique experience of demonstrating our work to a 16-month old child. The inclusion of Te Reo Maori and artwork that references New Zealand lifestyles in the app creates a unique and special experience.
Rabid particularly acknowledges the contribution of Ali Teo for illustration, and Josh Briggs on behalf of the Vodafone Foundation in collaborating with us. Our hope is that the game inspires many hours of play with our whanau this Father’s Day.
