Posted by Robbie McLachlan, Developer Marketing

In our latest film for #WeArePlay, which celebrates the people behind apps and games, we meet Robson from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As the co-founder of Estante Mágica, he created an app that turns kids into published authors, sparking their imagination and love for reading. Robson's journey from the favelas to creating a platform that inspires millions of young minds is helping to revolutionize education in Brazil. Discover how Estante Mágica is making a lasting impact on education, one story at a time.

What was the inspiration behind Estante Mágica?

It’s a combination of my personal journey and a deep belief in the transformative power of education. Growing up in the Rocinha favela, I saw first-hand how education could change lives — my illiterate grandparents always believed that education was the key to real change, and passed that belief down to me. I wanted to create a tool that nurtures literacy so I teamed up with my friend Pedro to create Estante Mágica.

Estante Mágica, which translates to "Magic Bookshelf," is our way of giving every child the chance to become an author, create something magical that they can be proud of, and to see their own imagination come to life. We designed the app to be a bridge, reaching not just urban schools but also rural and underserved communities, including indigenous villages and areas with fewer resources.

Can you tell us about a moment that showed you the power of Estante Mágica?

Recently, I visited a school in a small village in Rio de Janeiro. The principal apologized for being late to our meeting, explaining that she had just met with a father and mother who wanted to enroll in adult education classes. When she asked them why they wanted to learn to read and write in their 30s and 40s, they told her, "Our son wrote a book here last year, and we don't know how to read it. It's our dream to be able to read the book our son wrote." That moment hit me hard. It was proof that our app isn’t just about helping kids become authors; it's about inspiring entire families to embrace literacy and education.

Tell us about the Autograph Days

These events are held at schools and are all about celebrating the young authors who have created their own books. Each child receives a printed copy of their book, and the day is set up just like a traditional book signing event. The event is not only about the children’s hard work but also a moment of pride for parents and teachers, who see the joy and confidence this experience brings to the kids.

What’s next for Estante Mágica?

One major focus is integrating more AI into the app. We want to make it so that when kids create their characters or stories, they can interact with them more dynamically. Imagine a character in a game being able to respond to a child’s questions or comments – that’s the kind of interaction we’re aiming for. We’re keeping an eye on some new features like text-to-video and image-to-video which could add a whole new layer to how kids can bring their stories to life. Ultimately, we’re planning to bring the magic of storytelling to children around the world and expand our platform to more schools, especially in underserved areas.

Discover more global #WeArePlay stories and share your favorites.

Posted by Robbie McLachlan, Developer Marketing

Our celebration of app and game businesses continues with #WeArePlay stories from founders around the world. Today, we’re spotlighting the people who turned their passions into thriving businesses - from a passion for art and design from one game creator, to a passion for saving the environment from an app maker.

During a gaming developer competition, Brian - alongside his wife and three other participants - built a challenging monster and bullet-dodging game called No Humanity within 48 hours, winning first place in the competition. From this, Brian founded his gaming company SweatyChair. No Humanity was improved and launched a week later and grew to over 9 million downloads. His passion for technology and art is how he champions a more active gaming experience, where players can create their own elements and play them in the game.

When Prachi travelled to Maharashtra, she saw first-hand how the effects of climate change impacted the locals. Her passion for protecting the environment led her to ask herself “What can I do about climate change?”. She vowed to reduce her carbon footprint and went on to create Cool The Globe, an app that helps people track daily actions to lower their emissions. Her dedication earned her the Young Changemaker Award in India. Next, she aims to add community dashboards for schools and organizations to follow their collective climate efforts.

Benoit is passionate about providing nutritious food for his children, so he went on a mission to buy healthier food for his family. Whilst shopping, he found label-reading tiring and wished for a tool to check ingredients automatically. He shared his idea with his brother François and close friend Julie. Together, the trio saw a real need to combine their passions for nutrition and technology and spent a weekend hammering out their concept before presenting the idea in a food hackathon they went on to win. Their winning project laid the groundwork for their app Yuka, which scans product labels to reveal their ingredients and health impact.

When the loneliness of early motherhood hit after her first child, Michelle sought community and answers from online forums. When the forums didn’t provide the safe space she was looking for, her passion for building community along with her 10 years of experience in social networking inspired her to create Peanut. The app helps moms to connect, make friends, and find support. With over 2.3 million downloads and a budding global community, the Peanut team recently revamped the main feed for greater personalization and introduced an ad-free option.

Discover more global #WeArePlay stories and share your favorites.

In our latest film for #WeArePlay, which celebrates the people behind groundbreaking apps and games, Jakub takes us on a journey through the world of Amanita Design. Born in Prague, Czech Republic, his journey into the world of games began with a passion for animation and an eye for artistic detail. Driven by a vision to create games that blend captivating art with immersive storytelling, he founded his company Amanita Design in 2003.

Today, the thriving business is renowned for its unique approach to games, drawing inspiration from Czech landscapes, fairy tales, and the rich cultural heritage of its homeland. With a dedicated team of around 30, they are crafting games as visually stunning as they are narratively rich. Discover how he is merging the charm of Czech culture with the magic of gaming.

What’s the inspiration behind Amanita Design and your game Machinarium?

I have a love for nature, fairy tales, and Czech culture. Growing up in Prague, I was surrounded by beautiful landscapes and old buildings that sparked my imagination. I studied classical animation and always wanted to create something that felt both magical and deeply connected to my roots. Our games often use Czech folklore and the natural world. In 2009, when we developed Machinarium, I was fascinated with industrial decay and old machinery. The abandoned factories around Prague provided a gritty backdrop for the game. We paired this with a compelling story and handcrafted visuals. We even used natural sounds from our environment to add an authentic touch.

Did you always imagine you’d be an entrepreneur?

I didn’t initially see myself as an entrepreneur. My journey began with a passion for games and animation, and I started Amanita Design as a natural extension of my interests. I began the studio right after finishing school, driven by a desire to create and share my artistic vision. Over time, as the studio grew organically, I embraced the role of an entrepreneur but it was the love for game development that initially set me on this path.

What sets your games apart?

What makes our games stand out is the mix of old-world craftsmanship with today’s tech. We really enjoy incorporating hand-painted cardboard characters and using natural materials for sound effects, which adds a unique, tactile feel to our work. We draw deeply from Czech culture, nature, and fairy tales, giving each game a distinctive and enchanting touch. It’s all about creating something authentic and immersive, and we hope that passion resonates with our players.

What does the future look like for Amanita Design?

We’re working on several new games and exploring different distribution models, such as the free-to-try approach on mobile platforms. Our goal is to continue creating unique and artistically rich games that resonate with a global audience. As technology evolves, we plan to adapt and innovate, maintaining our focus on storytelling and artistic craftsmanship while embracing new opportunities in the gaming industry.

Discover more global #WeArePlay stories and share your favorites.

In 2022, #WeArePlay launched 153 stories about the people behind app and game companies across the United States. Since then, we've been on a virtual tour around the world with more stories from India, Europe, Japan and Australia. Today, we're heading back to the U.S. as we celebrate 153 brand new stories, 3 more per state, and spotlight more growing businesses on Google Play.

Here are just a few of my favorites:

Bernard’s app uses virtual reality to recreate ancient cities

Bernard went to visit Plastico di Roma Imperiale in the 70s - a model of imperial Rome in the time of Constantine the Great - and was spellbound. This visit was the seed of what was to become his app Yorescape, an app that uses virtual reality to let users explore ancient ruins. With 3D reconstructions and expert audio guides, Yorescape simulates world heritage sites with a little help from virtual reality. People can explore ancient ruins and take a unique journey through time, presenting historical sites as they exist today alongside their ancient counterparts. Yorescape showcases heritage sites from Egypt, Lebanon, Greece, Italy, and Mexico. One day, he hopes to cover sites in all four corners of the earth.

Pinkey’s app uses AI to revolutionize maternal healthcare for all moms

Pinkey was disappointed with the aftercare she received post-delivery when she gave birth to her first child. As a pharmacist, personal trainer, and pre-and postnatal corrective exercise specialist, she knew she had plenty of knowledge to share. This experience led Pinkey to create Myri Health, an AI-driven platform that transforms pregnancy and postpartum support. She plans to launch in countries with higher maternal mortality rates improving the healthcare of mothers everywhere and will integrate the app with Google Health Connect for fully cohesive care.

Bria’s game lets players serve Japanese-themed characters in a bubble tea shop

Bria worked for some big names in the tech world but wanted to start her own company based on what brings her joy. Bubble tea was something she always associated with good times with friends, and wanted to encapsulate that same feeling in Boba Story. In her game, players restore an old boba shop by designing the decor and a drinks menu, they then serve the Japanese anime-inspired characters bubble tea. A garden with beekeeping where players can harvest honey has recently been added as well as a host of new boba flavors.

Alina and Samara’s game uses micro workouts to help you stay active

Whilst working 80 hours a week during the pandemic, Alina found that she had no time to exercise but still managed to play video games and scroll through social media. This inspired her to create a fun and easy game for people to stay active. After posting a job online, she teamed up with Samara, a gaming programming teacher, and they built their game, Fitment. The game makes exercise more accessible through gamified micro workouts that are engaging and fun. The team is now working on rolling out social features to make the platform more interactive, enabling friends to get fit together.

Discover more #WeArePlay stories from the US and stories from across the globe.