Since ASPbelong may not immediately convey a clear meaning, we think it’s important to explain in more detail what our name represents. ‘ASP’ stands for Augmented Social Play – that’s the technical name for the new type of shared immersive experiences we’re creating for young people.

And ‘belong’? That refers to sense of belonging, that magical feeling of being part of a group – that you’re accepted, protected and respected by your peers. That you belong.

The goal of our work is to create collaborative digital experiences (ASPs) that boost sense of belonging in young people. Hence, ASPbelong.

What experiences? Well, our first one’s aimed at young people aged 11-14, and it’s played in an ordinary school classroom by an entire class and their teacher. It tells the story of Lina, a fictional member of the class who has suddenly and mysteriously vanished. Players must co-operate to solve puzzles and discover where Lina has gone, and why.

Each player uses a smartphone or tablet to move through the story. We use Augmented Reality to superimpose objects left behind by Lina into the real space of the classroom. With a cinematic soundtrack, audio-drama style narration and moments where the game guides players to create spontaneous dramatic scenes together, our format is a unique blend of co-operative gaming and immersive theatre. Lina’s story is told over several ‘episodes’ or ‘chapters’, each of which fits within a single lesson.