There’s a new way to play in several Eugene-area parks.
The recently-launched Agents of Discovery app features six “augmented reality” games, meant to boost people’s well being by connecting them to outdoor spaces.
“The challenge is always how to attract more users that will stay longer and come back more frequently,” said Ariel Lissman, the Executive Director of the Eugene Parks Foundation. “And the Agents of Discovery helps you introduce what we call structured, but unsupervised, activity.”
Lissman said the challenges are aimed at late-elementary through middle school students. He said the current locations are Awbrey Park in Santa Clara, Wild Iris Ridge, Bethel Community Park, Alton Baker Park, the Willamette River area, and Delta Ponds.
The stories focus on different themes, said Lissman, including history, the environment, and culture.
Eventually, he said, the foundation would like to have an active module within a 15 minute walk of every Eugene home.
In the future, Lissman said, he’s interested in working with local organizations to develop additional sites and themes.
And, he said they’re happy to hear feedback about the games.
