A llama wearing sunglasses and colorful clothing that moves green maracas to the rhythm of the music.
A mermaid with white hair and pink highlights who sings while playing the guitar and waves her tail.
An alien DJ whose first contact with Earth was a couple of years ago who performs antigravity dances with fluorescent bars in his hands.
These are some Lego characters that, while in the physical world remain immobile, in the digital world come to life thanks to an
augmented reality
app
and dance, sing and eat the stage.
EL PAÍS has tested Lego Vidiyo, a game developed by the Lego group and Universal Music Group (UMG) that will be available from March 1.
The aim is that children from seven to 10 years old can first assemble their toys with the mythical pieces of different sizes and colors of Lego and then direct, produce and share music videos performed by the figures of the Danish company.
Lego: how to conquer the world with colored bricks
The first step in recording a video clip is choosing your band members.
Among the main musicians, in addition to those already mentioned, there is also a punk pirate with a crest, tattoos and a hook who plays the guitar;
a droid with several robotic arms that dances break dance;
and a DJ unicorn with a blue horn and pink mane who enjoys when it rains glitter.
In addition to the main artists, there are more than a dozen figures who can also be part of the band.
While a shark or a cowboy can do the backing vocals, there is also a rabbit and a fox who go with a big cassette radio everywhere, an
alien
who plays the keyboard or an ice cream that gives everything to the saxophone.
To bring all these characters to life, download the Lego Vidiyo app and create a video clip.
The first step is to choose the music.
During the tests carried out by this newspaper, it has been possible to choose between a score of songs.
In addition to some classics, there are also some that feature on the contemporary charts.
Some of the available themes are
Where are we going
by Morat,
Therefore I am
by Billie Eilish,
Believer
by Imagine Dragons,
Don´t call me up
by Mabel or
Sucker
by the Jonas Brothers.
The Lego helicopter that ended up turned into a prosthesis
Joshua Burke, vice president of strategic marketing and global partnerships at Universal Music Group, explains that the
app
includes music from around the world "and provides the opportunity for artists from all walks of life to make their music heard by millions of children and families." .
Nine out of 10 parents consider that playing with Lego bricks helps develop creativity, improves problem solving and builds confidence, according to the Danish company.
In addition, according to the same company, 76% of parents and children between 5 and 12 years old believe that music helps them express who they are.
Once the song has been chosen, the figures of the characters that will make up the band must be scanned.
"Ready to move," the
app
says
after doing so.
But it's not just the characters that are scanned.
In the box, each figure is accompanied by several
BeatBits.
These are small flat and square figures designed to be placed in the scenarios that the user himself assembles with Lego bricks.
These pieces also come in the boxes of the band's main and supporting artists.
Special effects
The
BeatBits
are special effects.
Some are sound, but there are also new backgrounds and costume changes.
While the video clip is being recorded, you can choose from all these effects.
For example, to make it rain glitter or confetti, have the characters dress up as dinosaurs, do different dance steps, have the audience throw tomatoes at them, make bears appear on stage, a saxophone solo or popcorn comes out. , lights or stars on the ground.
Once the members of the band and the
BeatBits have been selected, it is
enough to point with the camera of the mobile to a certain place.
In this way it is possible to transport Lego characters to the real world.
Anything goes.
A room, a patio, a park, or even the kitchen table can become the perfect setting.
And to dance.
For 60 seconds, you can take creative control of your video clips, activating dance moves and audiovisual effects.
The experience is quite positive and the results are original.
It is advisable to practice a little to get a video clip that is worthwhile.
With this game, the boundaries between the virtual and the physical world are blurred.
Morgan Walker, design director of the Lego group, indicates that "children do not differentiate between digital and physical play and for them everything is just a game."
“This is the reality we live in now.
But we know that for parents it is really important that any screen time is creative time and I believe Lego Vidiyo is a truly open creative experience with no winners or losers. "
In addition to sharing video clips, the app lets you design all the members of the band.
For example, the user can change their clothes or hair color.
It is also possible to choose the name of the band from multiple somewhat extravagant options.
The group may be called Considerate Giants, Yellow Boys, Banana Trick, Wonderful Toasts, or The Bed Society.
Walker is convinced that music and creative play are important in children's development.
Therefore, he assures that Lego is always looking for "new ways to feed the imagination."
"Lego Vidiyo opens a new creative canvas for children to express themselves with bricks, sound and vision," he says.
The limits of the creations are in the imagination of each user.
Share the video clips
As if it were a social network, you can share up to 20 seconds of the creations in the
app
and view those of other users.
For example, it is possible to publish the cover of an album or any video clip.
The application has a tab called "social" that is quite reminiscent of TikTok and has three sections.
In "for you" there are creations that the app selects for the user.
By clicking on "discover" it is possible to reach other content.
Finally, a section called "activities" encourages the user to do different challenges.
For example, to release your first single or to record a video clip with a specific character.
In this context, one of the points to consider is how Lego and UMG guarantee the privacy of users.
The Danish company claims to take the digital safety of minors very seriously.
Therefore, it indicates that all publications are made anonymously and the shared content is reviewed by external moderators.
In this way, it is intended to avoid, for example, that identifiable people appear in a video.
In that case, the user could store the video on their device but not share it with other Internet users.
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