Imagine reading a book with characters coming alive and magically popping out of the pages.
With augmented reality enhanced books becoming hugely popular, it didn’t take long for Farm Cove resident and former television producer Ronel Schodt to tie up with writer Bridget Ellis-Pegler to create entertainment content that could challenge their pre-teen daughters and teach them values cleverly embedded in the book.
The Zingoshi Chronicles, a ‘transmedia’ project comprising books, video games, and eventually a TV series, has been seven years in the making.
Seeing great value in the augmented reality book got Kiwi business leader Theresa Gattung interested enough to invest seed money in the project. She even invited her friends reality TV pioneer Dame Julie Christie and My Food Bag founders Cecilia and James Robinson to put money in it.
The release of The Zingoshi Chronicles, Dragonfly the first illustrated novel of the series that is enhanced by augmented reality, revolves around the friendship between two, ten-year-old girls. One of them happens to be from another planet where flying and magic are commonplace.
Zingoshi is set in the fictional world of Planet Zingoshi where kids have a mystery to solve.
The augmented reality computer game is due to follow in mid-May.
For the uninitiated, augmented reality books merge traditional text with digital content using a piece of technology like a smartphone or tablet. When you hold your smart phone over the illustration in the book, the character comes alive to enthral and delight the young reader.
Zingoshi Chronicles was penned with the idea of empowering creative leaders.
“We went into this because as mothers we saw a gap in the market for 7-12 year olds,” says Bridget, the author of the book.
“Whilst looking for material for our children we couldn’t find games that were suitable. So much of it was pink and fluffy and fairy-princessy. On the other hand, the young adolescent material focused on dating and fashion.”
While the book is equally appealing to boys, it shows girls in a strong and positive light.
“It’s super child-friendly and kid safe,” she says.
Ronel adds that the project aims to integrate off-screen tasks, involving a range of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) activities.
“It requires the player to leave the computer to complete off-screen tasks as part of the game play. Kids can also join the Zingoshi Club for more off-screen activities.”
Enthused by the interest shown by children’s book publishers on their recent trip to the US, Ronel says that the games are a narrative to raise the literacy levels of the kids.
“It will also take them away from screen time where they can draw things like butterfly wings that can then be their own wing in the game they play.”
It’s mesmerising, magical and only the sky is the limit, they say.
