GameTime will be there when the exhibit hall at Georgia World Congress Center opens on October 8 to thousands of dedicated parks professionals. We’ll be exhibiting new playground equipment, sharing ideas about designing parks and recreation spaces and catching up with old friends. We’ve been doing this for as long as the National Recreation and Parks Association has held their annual conference, but this year is different.

 

A Booth Experience Nearly a Century in the Making

Since our founding in 1929, GameTime has focused on creating outdoor spaces where children love to play. We invented many of the favorite activities you and your children grew up with on the playground, and our innovations have shaped the industry for decades. Through it all, we’ve recognized what George Bernard Shaw, the Nobel-winning playwright, wryly explained, “you don’t stop playing because you grow old, you grow old because you stop playing.”

We’re not ready to grow old, and we’re not ready to stop playing.

Play isn’t just for kids. Play is essential through all stages of human life. As Dr. Stuart Brown, MD, put it, “we are hard wired for play.” How we play may change over time, but we instinctively seek out play the same way we seek food or shelter. 

Research journals, books, and even films have extolled the value and benefits of play, so we won’t delve too deeply into that here. Suffice it to say that play has a transformative and regenerative effect on people at every stage of life. 

 

Celebrating Intergenerational and Inclusive Play

The power of play in human life is so important that it shouldn’t be reserved for people of certain ages, backgrounds, or abilities. Play is a fundamental human right, and GameTime is committed to ensuring everyone has access. We pioneered many of the inclusive elements of play we all know and love: ramped play structures, adaptive swing seats, accessible safety surfacing, and more. We invented the first accessible playground net and playground tower, and we continue to leverage the best practice research from leading scholars to ensure play environments are inclusive to the greatest extent possible. 

Inclusion isn’t just about addressing the needs of people with disabilities. Inclusion also means creating spaces where people of all ages can play together. 

There is a lot of talk about creating multigenerational spaces in parks and outdoor areas. We think this is important. Having a place where people of different ages can all find a way to recreate is a significant first step, but it’s not the ultimate goal. Intergenerational play is critical.

If multigenerational means children, adults, and teens all use the same space, intergenerational means those same people use that space together! 

Studies show that when people of different ages interact during play, the benefits are increased exponentially for everyone involved. Cognitive improvements, physical development, and social skills are all enhanced when a parent and a child play together, or friends of different ages engage in play. 

When you combine inclusive and intergenerational play, you create something special—a place where everyone belongs and quality of life is enhanced exponentially.


What to Expect from GameTime at the 2024 NRPA Conference

The theme for GameTime’s booth at NRPA this year is “It’s Time to Play.” Our mission is to show visitors to Booth 715 that it’s essential to design outdoor spaces that appeal to people of all ages and abilities . . . all the time. 

The anchor of our booth is Aventus Hub. You might remember the debut of Aventus last year at the NRPA Conference in Dallas, TX. Aventus is the industry’s first accessible playground tower, with accessible routes to the top of the 14’ tall platform. Aventus is transforming playgrounds and changing how people think about playground towers and inclusive playground design. This year, we’ve brought Aventus down to earth in the form of Aventus Hub.

Aventus Hub is a multi-level play experience with accessible climbers, slides, interactive games, social play areas, and more. The wrap-around design provides shade for cooler and more comfortable play, and it integrates with exciting new accessible climbers like Exorior for access and discovery and our Slide and Go slides, which make exiting a slide easier and more secure. 

Along with Aventus Hub, we have ground-level, accessible play activities for younger children, ages 2 to 5, that encourage climbing, discovery, and creativity. There’s an apple tree-themed climber and a creative art center where everyone can paint or draw on an acrylic panel and wipe it clean when finished.

There is a new inclusive fitness element called Gladiator designed for people of all ages, abilities, and fitness levels to exercise outdoors together. People who love to play games will love our custom shuffleboard and checker/chessboard tables. They’re accessible, and the checkers and chess boards include built-in seating. They’re constructed of our durable and beautiful TuffCrete material for long-term, all-weather outdoor use. 

For people who love the exhilaration of an amusement park ride and want to create inclusive play environments, we’re also presenting Aurora. Aurora is a multi-person inclusive spinner unlike any other. The angled platform rotates, and three individual Infinity Bowls spin independently. It’s like a tea cup ride, and people will love it. You’ll have a chance to experience it for yourself, along with everything on display. Nothing is off limits from climbing, spinning, or touching in the GameTime booth. We believe that playing is believing.

 

Happening Outside the Booth

Our involvement with the NRPA Conference isn’t limited to the expo show floor. GameTime is a long-time sponsor of NRPA, and we are presenting the opening party again this year. It will be held at the Georgia Aquarium, a spectacular venue in its own right, but for the opening party, we’re transforming it into a magical place to gather with friends. Thousands of park people will celebrate the work they do every day in communities across North America, and we’re excited to host them in Atlanta.

The Center for Outreach, Research, and Education (CORE) from our parent company, PlayCore, will present a series of educational workshops and sessions during the conference. Session topics include LWCF funding, intergenerational recreation spaces, inclusive play, and park usage data for community vitality. 

 

Partners for Parks

GameTime is committed to the success of local parks. We work with communities in America and around the world to build the best parks where everybody loves to play. We’re excited to sponsor and exhibit at the 2024 NRPA Conference and are passionate about creating inclusive, intergenerational spaces everyone can enjoy together.