HOW AUGMENTED REALITY IS SHAPING THE FUTURE OF PLAY
Now, Snyder acts as an AR ambassador to his friend group. Sometimes, when friends come over, they see Snyder's Merge AR/VR goggles, which he leaves on the dresser in his bedroom. He’ll slide in his phone, show them how it works, and let them take it for a spin. “Their eyes pop,” he says. “They always ask me, ‘Where can you buy this?’”
Jackie Marsh, a researcher at the University of Sheffield who studies digital literacy in children, says AR experiences can be beneficial for kids, especially when the apps help kids learn something or indulge in their own fantasy play. But research also warns that these types of games, toys, and apps can fail to engage kids meaningfully, or worse, mess with a child's sense of “reality testing”—understanding what's real, and what's not. It all depends on how the AR experience is designed.
See the full story here: https://www.wired.com/story/ar-toys-the-future-of-play/