Discover UGO, a new generation outdoor playground

Publicly unveiled last fall, the UGO module is a new line of life-size interactive games that entertain, move and bring neighborhood kids together in the park, just like you remember from your childhood.

With its structures which combine technology with manufacturing know-how, UGO constitutes the meeting between an immersive universe where imagination reigns and the traditional structures of outdoor play. UGO modules are similar to a console equipped with a series of sensors installed in a park, thus transforming the installations into a gigantic gamepad.

Inspired by the world of video games, UGO places physical activity at the very heart of the game. The objective is to appropriate the ways of playing children today, to integrate everything into a module of outdoor play and add a touch of modernity, in order to get children to have fun outside and play together. UGO talks, comes to life on a screen, explains the rules, points out good moves and stimulates the imagination, just like a video game.

An innovation that brings children back to the very essence of outdoor play - health, stimulation, sociability - while bringing it back to the taste of a generation that thrives on the rhythm of the interactive.

Get off the beaten track to create the parks of the future

UGO is an innovation by Go-Élan, a Quebec manufacturer of outdoor playground equipment for more than 30 years, whose products are found in municipal parks and schoolyards in several Canadian provinces.

The project was imagined by Carolyne Gagné, daughter of the founder of Go-Élan and now head of the company, as well as the businessman of the technology and entertainment sector Steve Couture, co-president of the company. The new interactive park was born from their collaboration.

The creators of UGO believe in the importance of developing healthy lifestyles in children and recognize that lifestyles and the world of youth entertainment have evolved. They are convinced that the integration of the immersive philosophy of video games with the simplicity of traditional games (playing in the sand, climbing, hanging, running, falling… getting dirty!) Represents the perfect recipe for bringing children to today to play outside, as in the past.

According to Carolyne Gagné, the beauty of this project lies in the mesh between two universes that do not usually come together, namely the manufacturer and the video game sector. For Steve Couture, this is a project that stands out for its originality, a highly stimulating concept that encourages young people to leave the house.

If Go-Élan's vision is based on the pleasure of playing outdoors, its ambition with the UGO project is to create the parks of the future. To achieve this, UGO equipment incorporates the most recent advances in psychology, motivational design and physical activity, with themes closely tied to children's aspirations and interests.

Finalist for three new media awards

UGO is a finalist in two categories of the Youth Media Alliance (YMA) Awards of Excellence, which recognize Canadian productions in the youth sector in television and interactive content. Named in categories Entertainment shutter Interactive content as well as for the Price of Parents Châtelaine (audience award), UGO is also a finalist at NUMIX, in the category Interactive / youth productions.

For children, the wait will be a few more months before they can take advantage of the advantages of UGO interactive parks, the first installations of which in Quebec municipalities are scheduled for summer 2018.

To learn more, visit the following websites:

UGO #UgoPlayground: www.ugoplayground.com
Go-Elk: www.goelan.com