Image: Sofia Strandberg
Magnus Osbeck and Amer Mohammed
Göteborg Daily meets with the duo that makes two unlikely worlds come together
You're about to go for a jog when the rain starts pouring, washing away all of your enthusiasm. How do you stay motivated? Amer Mohammed and Magnus Osbeck, the duo behind StoneAge - one of Gothenburg's latest and up and coming businesses supported by Chalmers Innovation - might have the answer you're looking for.
Driven by the wish to encourage ‘positive behaviour', Amer and Magnus, who are big fans of online games but also keen athletes, decided to create a game based on real life physical activity. Sound contradictory? Perhaps, but not in a society where the line between virtual and real life is fading fast.
In the game each player receives an avatar (an online alter-ego) whose strength, agility and stamina depend on the user's real-life condition. As you improve your physique by working out, your avatar will receive keys to ‘unlock' rewards and advance in the game.
-We wanted to create a fun game that would make exercising more rewarding, something that gives you that little extra push to go work out. As such, we're combining two completely different worlds, says Magnus.
To transform their idea into business they turned to Chalmers Innovation, a non-profit foundation whose goal is to transform technology-related business ideas into successful and sustainable companies. To Amer and Magnus, Chalmers Innovation has provided the map and compass needed to embark on the journey from idea to business.
- They've helped us understand how it all works, how to write action and business plans, network, attract investors, and present our product, says Amer.
- Chalmers Innovation has made the journey so many times already, they have the knowledge and expertise and know what works and what doesn't, adds Magnus.
But finding investors for a web-based consumer service such as theirs has been hard. Social media is still new, and StoneAge is in fact the first online game business Chalmers Innovation has supported.
- To many investors in Sweden, social media is hard to grasp and people are a little hesitant, says Amer.
To play the game, you'll need a smartphone and an app that will track your achievements. At the same time it will verify that you did indeed go for that run you are now bragging about online.
But the game is not simply about improving your physique, it's also about encouraging positive social behaviour. To this end, StoneAge has teamed up with a senior lecturer in psychology at Gothenburg University who will help tailor different aspects of the game.
-Someone that works out alone at the gym six days a week will not advance as fast in the game as someone who has a versatile exercise schedule that includes social interactions, explains Amer.
If all goes to plan, the first version of the game will be available in May. And perhaps, as strange as it might seem, the stereotypical idea of an online game player as a nocturnal, soda-slurping teen will soon be history.
This article was created in collaboration with Chalmers, the University of Gothenburg and Göteborg & Co.
