Video games and reality don’t always play together nicely, but there are some neat concepts that can blur the line in positive ways. Web versions of models you can project in the real world by using the augmented features built into your phone and tablet is one way, as is using an app to make it happen. ‘
That’s something IKEA has dabbled with before, offering AR apps that let you do just that: imagining how your home could look with examples of Swedish-designed furniture.
But you still need the inspiration to hit, and the approaches IKEA has tried in the past are largely about shopping for a specific product and seeing how it would roughly look.
What if you just want to have a mess around?
IKEA’s latest approach actually blends a kids game with home decoration, adding a world to Roblox to let you build, design, and decorate homes.
The concept is called “Welcome to Bloxburg” and essentially lets players set up furniture in their digital homes, complete with the somewhat iconic IKEA approach to catalogue naming, often appearing outside as digital on-screen furniture is placed.
Bloxburg is unique and also a bit of a test, with IKEA rolling it out to Roblox players in Sweden and Australia as the first two countries to experience it, with even the real-life stores participating slightly, as well.
“We’re delighted to bring some of our most loved IKEA products into this digital space,” said Sara Vestberg, Home Furnishing Direction Leader at Ikea. “With curiosity, we’re looking forward to seeing the home furnishing ideas people create, and how our products feel at home in their digital lives.”
The addition to Roblox includes an assortment of IKEA furniture and products, including a plushy shark, and while the game’s test goes online initially for two weeks, a representative for IKEA in Australia told Pickr that players would be able to keep their digital products in the game after the trial period ends.
IKEA’s Roblox addition is just one of the many worlds we’re seeing appear on the social gaming service, which saw updates before the government’s social media age regulation went into effect in December.
Ahead of January 24’s International Day of Education, Roblox has noted other additions that might interest kids and adults alike, including planet planning from the BBC, Sesame Street‘s Magical Beastie Quest, an art world from the Belvedere Museum in Vienna, and a journey into La Brea’s tar pits in California.
