Dinosaurs, kittens and unicorns at Dunedin reserve

Dunedin (Tuesday, 20 December 2016) – Dinosaurs, kittens and unicorns now roam at Caversham Reserve which has become a digital fantasy land with the addition of mixed reality game Magical Park.

Dunedin City Council Recreation Planning and Facilities Manager Jendi Paterson says children can play the game at the reserve using a smartphone or tablet.

“Magical Park is a world filled with dinosaurs, kittens and unicorns. It’s aimed at 6 to 11 year olds and is Dunedin’s first augmented reality game. The game is designed to get kids off the couch and active outside. Kids run on average 2km when playing.”

“We chose this location because the community were so keen to do something positive, and we needed a reserve that didn’t have a lot of physical barriers like playground equipment that children could run into.”

The DCC worked with the Caversham Community Group to install the game locally. Geo AR Games and the NZ Recreation Association worked together to get it up and running in New Zealand.

“We’ve bought a licence for the game for a year. Depending on how well it’s received, it’s something that could be extended to other reserves in the future.”

Game development is ongoing, including extending device availability, adding extra games such as an Easter game, and making more difficult levels.

Users need to download the free Magical Park app from the Apple App Store or Google Play. Once downloaded data usage is minimal as data is only used to locate the player on the field.

To play the game users need to have:

• An Android device with compass and gyroscope senses

• iPhone 5 (or newer) or iPad 3 (or newer)

See more about the game: http://bit.ly/2i4IJD6

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