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.

#WeArePlay celebrates the inspiring journeys of people behind apps and games on Google Play. In honor of Pride Month, we are highlighting founders who have built tools to empower the LGBTQIA+ community. From dating apps to mental health tools, to storytelling platforms - these founders are paving the way for more inclusive technology.

npckc is a game creator from Kanto, Japan whose stories portray the trans experience

Born in Hong Kong and raised in Canada, npckc is a trilingual translator based in Japan. A self-taught programmer, they create games that feature stories and characters which are often from marginalized communities. One such game is "one night, hot springs" where players follow Haru, a trans woman, as she embarks on a visit to the hot springs. Players have praised the game's realistic portrayal of trans experiences and the relaxing music composed by npckc's partner, sdhizumi. As a finalist in Google Play's Indie Games Festival in Japan, they hope to attend more gaming conventions to connect with fellow developers in person.

Anshul and Rohan from Mumbai, India built a mental health support app geared to the LGBTQIA+ community’s needs

After Anshul returned to India from London, he met Rohan and the pair bonded over their mental health struggles. Together they shared a dream; to create something in the wellness space. This became Evolve, an app with guided meditations, breathing exercises, and daily affirmations. When the pandemic hit, the pair saw first-hand how underserved the LGBTQIA+ community was in mental health support. For Rohan, who identifies as a gay man, this realization hit close to home. Together, Anshul and Rohan redeveloped Evolve towards the LGBTQIA+ community’s specific needs - building a safe space where users can share their experiences, seek mentorship, and build a supportive community.

BáiYù from Indiana, U.S. created a platform to publish authentic, queer visual novels and indie games

Queer developer BáiYù loves writing stories, and started making games at age 16. Part of a game-development community, BáiYù wanted an affordable way to help get their creations out. So they set up Project Ensō, publishing queer visual novels and narrative indie games. With 10 titles on Google Play, BáiYù supports other developers from under-represented groups to share their own authentic stories on Project Ensō, even polishing their games before release. The most popular title on Project Ensō is “Yearning: A Gay Story”, in which gamers play a newly-out gay man navigating his freshman year of college. BáiYù's efforts have had a profound impact on players, with many sharing how these games have positively transformed their lives.

Alex and Jake from Nevada, U.S. built an inclusive dating app and social community for everyone

Alex and Jake grew up in an environment that didn’t accept the LGBTQIA+ community. They started building apps together after a mutual friend introduced them. When they realized that queer people were looking for a platform that offered support and meaningful connections, they created Taimi. Taimi is not just a dating app for LGBTQIA+ people; it's also a social network where they can bond, build community, and feel safe. Alex and Jake are also proud to partner with NGOs that provide mental health support for the community.

Discover more stories of app and game creators in #WeArePlay.

Last year #WeArePlay went on a virtual tour of India, Europe and Japan to spotlight the stories of app and game founders. Today, we’re continuing our tour across the world with our next stop: Australia

From an app helping people during natural disasters to a game promoting wellbeing through houseplants, meet the 50 apps and games companies building growing businesses on Google Play.

Let’s take a quick road trip across the territories.

Tristen's app gives accurate information to people during natural disasters

Meet Tristen from Canberra, founder of Disaster Science. When Tristen was stranded by a bushfire with friends during a holiday, he realized the need to have accurate information in a crisis situation. Moved to help others, he leveraged his software development skills to create his app, Bushfire.io. It collects data from multiple sources to give people an overview of fires, floods, road closures, and vital weather updates.

He has recently added real-time satellite imagery and has plans to expand further internationally, with coverage of region-specific events like cyclones, earthquakes, evacuations and heat warnings.

Christine and Lauren's promotes wellbeing through houseplants

Friends Christine and Lauren from Melbourne co-founded gaming company Kinder World. As a child, Lauren used video games to soothe the pain of her chronic ear infections. That was how she discovered they could be a healing experience for people—a sentiment she dedicated her career to. She partnered with engineer Christina to make Kinder World: Cozy Plants.

In the game, players enter the comforting, botanical world of houseplants, home decoration, steaming hot coffee, and freshly baked cookies. Since going viral on several social media platforms, the app has seen huge growth.

Kathryn's app helps reduce stress and anxiety in children

Kathryn from Melbourne is the founder of Courageous Kids. When Kathryn's son was anxious and fearful whenever she dropped him off at school, as a doctor, her instincts for early intervention kicked in. She sought advice from pediatric colleagues to create stories to explain his day, making him the main character. Friends in a similar situation began to ask her for advice and use the stories for their own children so she created Courageous Kids.

A library of real-world stories for parents to personalize, Courageous Kids helps children to visualize their day and manage their expectations. Her app has become popular among families of sensitive and autistic children, and Kathryn is now working with preschools to give even more kids the tools to feel confident.

Discover more #WeArePlay stories from Australia, and stories from across the globe.

Born in Istanbul, Türkiye with limited sight, Zülal has been a power-user of visual assistive technologies since the age of 4. When she lost her sight completely at 10 years old, she found herself reliant on technology to help her see and experience the world around her.

Today, Zülal is the founder of FYE, her solution to the issues she found with other visual assistive technologies. The app empowers people with low vision to be inspired by the world around them. Employing a team of 4, she heads up technological development and user experience for the app.

Zülal shared her story in our latest film for #WeArePlay, which celebrates people around the world building apps and games. She shared her journey from uploading pictures of her parents to a computer to get descriptions of them as a child, to developing her own visual assistive app. Find out what’s next for Zülal and how she is using AI to help people like herself.

Tell us more about the inspiration behind FYE.

Today, there are around 330 million people with severe to moderate visual impairment. Visual assistive technology is life-changing for these people, giving them back a sense of independence and a connection to the world around them. I’m a poet and composer, and in order to create I needed this tech so that I could see and describe the world around me. Before developing FYE, the visual assistive technology I was relying on was falling short. I wanted to take back control. I didn’t want to sit back, wait and see what technology could do for me - I wanted to harness its power. So I did.

Why was it important for you to build FYE?

I never wanted to be limited by having low vision. I’ve always thought, how can I make this better? How can I make my life better? I want to do everything, because I can. I really believe that there’s nothing I can’t do. There’s nothing WE can’t do. Having a founder like me lead the way in visual assistive technology illustrates just that. We’re taking back control of how we experience the world around us.

What’s different about FYE?

With our app, I believe our audience can really see the world again. It uses a combination of AI and human input to describe the world around them to our users. It incorporates an AI model trained on a dataset of over 15 million data points, so it really encompasses all the varying factors that make up the world of everyday visual experiences. The aim was to have descriptions as vivid as if I was describing my surroundings myself. It’s the small details that make a big difference.

What’s next for your app?

We already have personalized AI outputs so the user can create different AI assistants to suit different situations. You can use it to work across the internet as you’re browsing or shopping. I use it a lot for cooking - where the AI can adapt and learn to suit any situation. We are also collaborating with places where people with low vision might struggle, like the metro and the airport. We’ve built in AI outputs in collaboration with these spaces so that anyone using our app will be able to navigate those spaces with confidence. I’m currently working on evolving From Your Eyes as an organization, reimagining the app as one element of the organization under the new name FYE. Next, we’re exploring integrations with smart glasses and watches to bring our app to wearables.

Discover more #WeArePlay stories and share your favorites.