PlayCurio
Master of the AR Content

Augmented Reality (AR) is touted to be the leading technology in the edtech space as it boosts retention and effective learning. Visual learning has proved to be beneficial in student comprehension and AR provides just that. According to Statista, the augmented reality market size is estimated to increase by over $195 billion, increasing from roughly $3.5 billion in 2017 to over $198 billion in 2025. To tap this huge potential, edtech companies have to be on top of their game and have to compete with Seoul-based PlayCurio, the master of AR based content for kids.

PlayCurio is a digital content company that is able to alleviate the apprehensions of parents who are cautious about media exposures to their kids. “PlayCurio is creating a healthy educational content paradigm for the era of reduced contact through realistic content based on AR,” says Sangjun Lee, CEO of PlayCurio. “Through play learning, we introduced educational contents about language, humanities, science, nature, and mathematics.” The company has been involved in the development of digital educational content for the past 10 years and has accumulated experience since the beginning of digital educational content in Korea.

Lee started his career as a TV producer in 2006, creating content for kids in the age group of four to seven years old. While on his second job in 2009, he got the idea to establish his own firm to create digital content for kids.

He found PlayCurio and explored various possibilities of digital content delivery, at a time when smartphone usage was still picking up. His experience has taught him that the quality of the content is paramount and upon encountering AR technology, Lee knew he could create exciting and engaging content.

Playcurio's content is a combination of physical and digital. It is a way to create synergy by combining real products and digital education that are familiar to both parents and children's generation more effectively through AR technology. The physical aspect of the content is a flash card which parents have to buy. They have to scan the QR code to download the PlayCurio app and then the digital aspect of the content comes in. Once the app is hovered over one of the flash cards, the AR part comes into play. For example, Curio Safari flash cards will show the animal’s actual size in the app. Similarly, Phonics Pop card will help the kid learn the pronunciation of the word, popping each syllable accordingly. With Curi, the cat and Rio, the dog, kids can go on a virtual tour of the world.

PlayCurio enjoys a customer/parental rating of 4.5 out of 5 in after-use evaluation at eBay Korea. The content is created both by PlayCurio experts as well as in partnership with publishing organizations who wish to develop digital content of their works. PlayCurio can bring about collaboration with large companies based on a network of education markets for more than a decade. Phonics Pop, which was released with YBM, is a representative case. YBM is a pioneer of the English language education in Korea. PlayCurio was able to develop its Phonic Pop product in partnership with YBM. “We launched the PlayCurio brand with the core know-how of YBM,” says Lee.

PlayCurio is open to similar partnerships with educational and publishing groups across the globe who have their own IP. PlayCurio’s content is easy to digitally transform as per the particular market and it can be implemented in different languages. The company is dedicated to be an educational content brand that presents the most friendly, easy and most importantly, healthy and effective ways for the children to meet future education.