Active Play with Swinxs

The Swinxs portable game console offers a variety of active games for children that can be played indoor or outdoor.

Swinxs is a family-friendly game console designed for children aged 4 to 12. It uses digital gaming technology to facilitate physically active games for kids and stimulate social interaction. Developed by Dutch company Swinxs BV, the system can be used both indoors and outdoors. It consists of an RFID reader, speakers, and a USB port, and comes with coloured armbands called XS-tags, which are used for recognition of players. Each player wears a personal wristband which is identified by colour. The speakers are used for talking to players by playing recorded sound samples, and for playing music, which keeps the kids immersed in the game.

When it was first introduced in 2008, Swinxs was the first screen-free console that could play games, as well as listen and talk to kids, keeping them entertained for hours at a time. Up to 10 kids can play Swinxs at a time and a single player mode is also available.

The screen-free technology encourages creativity and allows children to interact with each other more as they do not need to look at a screen for instructions and scores. The system won the 2009 Creative Child Magazine Toy of the Year Award in the United States, and a number of other awards and honours, including the National Parenting Publications Award (NAPPA), Parents' Choice Award, and the Seal of Approval award from the National Parenting Center.

The Swinxs game console is currently available in seven languages and comes with more than 25 games that kids can play, with new games frequently added through the open software development kit. The console explains the game rules to children, gives them encouragement, and provides feedback on their achievements in the game. New sound samples and games can be uploaded to the system when it is connected to a computer using USB.

The games available with the Swinxs console are mostly new versions of traditional children's games which are both physical and social, like hide and seek, tag, and musical chairs. The SwinxsCircle, for instance, is the Swinxs version of musical chairs. The players compete against each other by running or dancing in a circle around the console. When the music stops playing, they must quickly scan their XS at Swinxs, and the fastest player wins the game. Other than being a great choice for birthday parties, the game console also offers educational quizzes and can be used as a learning tool.

Other than providing positive feedback and encouragement, Swinxs has an advantage over traditional games in that it acts as an objective referee, which means that children do not generally need to argue among themselves about the score and rules of the game.

Swinxs is light enough to carry to the park and has a long-lasting battery. If the children get tired, it can be used to listen to audio books and music, which can also be downloaded from the website.

To see the game console in action, watch the video.