Australia’s No. 1 toy brand is taking over the digital world, starting with the Land Down Under.
Build with Chrome, a collaboration between Google Australia and LEGO, allows people worldwide to select a location and build a virtual LEGO creation. Australia is the first country users can create in, followed by New Zealand, according to DailyTech.
Plots of land are based on a first-come, first-serve basis. After an approval process (this is for all ages, after all), these creations are saved and open to the public for viewing in LEGO world. Modifications are not allowed after the design is published.
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The average Australian owns 70 LEGO bricks, but this is about to grow significantly. Google added 8 trillion virtual LEGO bricks to Chrome. The bricks were made with WebGL that demonstrates the upper limit of its graphics’ performance and enables 3D graphics right in the browser, according to Google. This, paired with Aussie-invented Google Maps, allows users to put their creations in a LEGO world with others.
"Build may look simple, but this collaborative 3D building experience would not have been possible a couple of years ago,” according to Google. “It shows how far browser technology has come and how the web is an amazing platform for creativity.”
Google plans to expand the LEGO world to include other countries for people to build in the future, according to Gizmodo.
April 2012 marked the 50th anniversary of when British sales rep John Peddie brought LEGO to Australia in his suitcase.
"The brand name LEGO comes from the Danish expression ‘Leg Godt,’ which translates as ‘play well,’'' Peddie says. "When first arriving in the country, this was my mission, to encourage Australia to play well, and it remains the same today.”
Play on, Australia.
