Rovio is usually known for creating fun games for all ages, including several entries in the Angry Birds franchise. However, with its latest move, it intends to move towards educating younger players, according to VentureBeat.
The team has introduced its new Fun Learning education initiative, which will be aimed towards three to six year olds. Working alongside fashion designer Ivana Helsinki, the development studio has managed to put together outfits for a forthcoming program titled Angry Birds Playground. With them, young children can learn a thing or two, but in a fun way.
“It’s no secret that in Finland, boys learn English faster than girls,” said Peter Vesterbacka, Mighty Eagle at Rovio, during the company’s recent press conference. “They play more games than girls, and the games are in English.”
The new program, which has been three and a half years in the making, combines the ability to play games with both digital and physical world learning, creating a unique effect – and not just with the clothing. The program also provides teachers the means to introduce kids to digital games, including gesture-based ones for puzzle solving techniques.
“We are interest in the digital space of learning, but it’s important to understand the physical side of it too,” said Sanna Lukander, vice president of learning for Rovio. With the program, the team hopes to expand outside of just creating another game experience, as a larger program can have a greater impact.
The goal of the program is to promote “flow,” according to Paola Suhonen, the art director and founder for Helsinki. “We wanted to create clothes that promote learning and flow.”
Rovio is looking to license Angry Birds Playground to spread the word about Fun Learning, and hopes to kick off the program shortly across Finland, as well as Beijing, China. There’s no word on when it will reach other markets, at least as of yet.
“We’ll have more than one, but less than a million,” said Vesterbacka. “It’s not easy to scale it. But we are not afraid of difficult things. It’s not a charity. It is most definitely a business for us.”
Lauri Jarvilehto, scientist for Fun Learning, stated, “We need to learn to make learning fun.”
