Caper - the play-inspiration app

by Startacus Admin

Caper is an innovative app for all the family to use -  combining interactive storytelling with fun activities and tasks

People are forever frustrated with the amount of time their children spend in front of a screen. Ignoring the £600 phone we just bought them to keep them occupied, we lament the fact that they don’t play outside like we used to.

But perhaps there is a happy medium, where children can mix their screen-based entertainment with the world around them and learn that it’s possible to play and make their own fun from the great outdoors or their own bedroom.

London-based startup Caper is looking to strike a balance between screen time and real-world play with their app.

The idea is a simple and fun one, wherein the child will receive a video call from - for now, in the initial series of ‘missions’ - Captain Redtail, who will explain that he needs help. In the example shown on their website, the furry captain has crash-landed in the park and needs help. The idea, of course, is that the child will leap into action and head to the park - or whatever the nearest approximation is - and set about following Redtail’s instructions. Children’s screen time is minimal, limited to this introduction and explanation and the instructions, maximising the time spent interacting with the world around them, be it outdoors or inside.

Whether building spaceship parts out of sticks or gathering leaves for a witch’s potion outside, or learning how to build a ‘shelter’ inside with blankets and chairs, Caper brings a narrative to the kinds of activities that children are already attracted to, though some may have forgotten or not yet discovered it.

In August, Caper announced that they had received a €300,000 investment from their seed round, led by LEGO Ventures and including continued support from Founders Factory.

Over 4,000 families have downloaded the app so far this year, and with more characters, scenarios, and missions coming soon, this investment should help to ensure that the app continues to have lasting appeal as children begin to come out of lockdown and rediscover the outdoors.

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• #storytelling
• #children
• #play
• #innovation
• #family
• #stories

Published on: 12th September 2020