One part classroom, one part playground, one part glorified video arcade, TechTreK is taking the home out of children's home entertainment. When this "family computer entertainment and education center" opened in Rockville, Maryland, last spring, swarms of eager families descended upon it like it was a Barney convention. In its first weekend alone, more than 4,000 visitors dropped US$6.95 per kid for the one-hour privilege of using computer terminals and a library of commercially available software.
TechTreK's creator, Dadi Akhavan, knows a thing or two about marketing. As president and co-founder of Trident Software, he's watched the hybrid "edutainment" niche explode during the past few years. "There were 230 new software titles in the first five months of 1995," he says. "There was no place out there where families could have access to these products." Drawing inspiration from "places like the Discovery Zone and Chuck E. Cheese" and blending in the sophistication of the technogeneration, TechTreK was born.
The sprawling indoor amusement park features elaborate murals and special effects designed by the team that created Star Wars. At the heart of the center are seven "stations" where kids can explore interactive software on science, storytelling, art, and more.
At the Take a Trip station, small visitors can cozy up to a time machine and play with software teaching history and geography. Under the lightning fizzes of Go Figure, they can try out their math and analytical skills. There's even a special section for preschoolers, where toddlers can learn to boot up before they've mastered the swing set. TechTreK also offers special classes and after-school programs and welcomes preschool groups. Leaving nothing to chance, there are classes for adults, too.
Visitors are guided through the center by Trek Masters, who can answer questions and offer suggestions on how to use either the computers or the software. And while their progeny are off developing early RSI, parents can sip cappuccino in the Cyber Cafe.
It's no accident that TechTreK is located in a Washington, DC, suburb. "This is an affluent area," admits Akhavan. "Computer penetration in homes is very high - about 75 percent." So what's the allure of loading up the car and dropping some serious cash here? Part of it is social - kids get the chance to interact not only with a computer but with other children. And for parents, there's the potential long-term cost-effectiveness - especially when gauging pint-sized attention spans. "Parents come in and say, 'I spend $50 on something, and my child played with it for a half hour,' " says Akhavan. Here, grown-ups can let their kids road-test new titles and find out if they've got the stuff that will engage the brood again and again. Naturally, when they make such discoveries and the kids are howling for a particular game they've almost mastered, there's a retail store on site.
In much the same spirit as the family centers that served as role models, Akhavan is planning to take his digital Disneylands on the road. This year, he's opening a string of TechTreKs in the Washington, DC, area and up and down the Eastern seaboard, with an eye on franchises across the country. "As we move forward, people have less time, and the time they spend doing any activity is invaluable," says Akhavan. While it may never match Little League or cartoons, TechTreK proves to many families that spending quality time together doesn't have to mean being unplugged. TechTreK: +1 (301) 881 8735.
SCANS
Digital Disneyland
