Innovation from Limitation – How Geo AR Games’ obsession with impact drives their creativity
Video games are one of the biggest and most lucrative sectors of the worldwide software technology industry today, which is why big development studios pour so much money into creating them. Think Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto and Halo, which are amongst the most expensive video games ever made, with development budgets in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
But video games have also become much more than simply entertainment – gamified experiences have become a touchpoint of modern life, helping us understand and engage with the world around us, whether we’re working, shopping, or learning
‘Serious’ games have become a seriously important sector of the industry all on their own, most often commissioned by local government groups, or other community organisations focusing on helping people. However, not every organisation that wants to create a video game to seriously serve an audience will have access to a big budget. When parameters are limited, an alternative path must be found.
In this space sits Geo AR Games, an Auckland-based design company that has carved out a unique niche within the global game development industry.
Geo AR Games utilises augmented reality for “creating digital experiences that positively impact the world, fostering education and empowerment with simulations and serious games.” Their flagship product is Magical Park, an AR-powered game that brings public parks to life with interactive activities.
Over the last decade, the company has worked on dozens of projects for organisations with very limited funding and with communities that may lack many of the resources and knowledge that more privileged ones enjoy.
They have done it by following a principle developed by company co-founder and director Melanie (Mel) Langlotz, simply called ‘Innovation from Limitation’.
This underlying philosophy has driven the development of the Geo AR Games team as it has simultaneously driven their creativity – and it’s one she believes entrepreneurs and startups in other industries can learn from.
Smart thinking in the face of limitations
Like so many innovations throughout history, Mel says the ‘Innovation from Limitation’ approach was born of necessity.
“We didn’t set out on our journey with the phrase in mind, but over the years of developing projects, we kept hearing ourselves say, ‘We can’t afford X, but what if we try Y?’,” she says.
“In time, that mindset became a muscle. We realised limitations weren’t just things to overcome, they were a design prompt. We reflected on how and why our most impactful games often came from our tightest budgets and the phrase was coined.”
The approach was at the core of Geo AR’s development process for a game built for the City of Canning in Perth, Western Australia, where the council faced a serious problem with a local wetlands area – home to several native species of frogs, bats, and turtles – being increasingly used as a dumping ground for rubbish.
The Council needed to educate the community about this problem, because they were planning to landscape the area to preserve the beautiful wetlands and its aquatic inhabitants.
But the challenges they faced were many – from having only a limited budget to fund the project, to the safety issues apparent in centring activities around a large body of water, to the fact that that the predominantly low-socioeconomic demographic of the local community meant that use of advanced smartphones was low.
Lead developer for the project, Scott Thomson, explains: “In this case, the main constraint was the old devices. We had to move our thinking from developing for modern, geospatial-capable devices to cheap cell phones with a camera and basic capacity for text messages and phone calls.”
“Instead of going for the shiny, glitzy tech, we had to design ‘backwards’ with the oldest tech in mind, while also delivering on the core requirements of safety, access and usability for diverse groups – all within a limited budget,” he says.
The resulting product was Smart Canning, a simple app which hosted six interactive and educational games that showed live water quality information in real-time from water sensors in the park. Users could discover information on wildlife and take a photo with a 3D bat, frog or turtle, or use an interactive map to find park facilities.
Most notable, however, was the innovative solution that emerged from the limitations imposed on the project, which turned out to be transformational for Geo AR Games – an approach called ‘app recycling’.
“Because the City of Canning wanted a product which would have cost twice what they had in their budget, we thought about it and came up with a completely new business model where we suggested, ‘What if we co-own it?’” says Mel.
“This meant we could take the project forward with City of Canning, but by retaining ownership of the app, we could re-use and re-purpose the core elements of it in other ways for other clients.”
Since delivering the Smart Canning project, various adaptations of the app have been successfully delivered for organisations including a water quality game for SA Water in Adelaide, Australia, and a Christmas-themed game for the City of Auckland.
“We are often working with local government groups in communities with a digital divide – and this is not just in Australia. It’s also here in New Zealand and all around the world. This app recycling approach – born from limitation – enables us to turn around similar projects quickly and cost-effectively for groups that are facing their own limitations, be they technical or financial.”
An obsession with impact
Holly Franklin, Head of Strategy for Geo AR Games says the approach has become a mantra, embedding itself into everything the team does, and especially for clients with financial challenges.
“We’re obsessed with impact – and when you’re building for communities that often get left behind, you just have to think differently,” she says.
“You question default UX assumptions. You build for spotty WiFi, old phones, low digital literacy. That shapes your whole ethos. In working within limitations, our team culture has become deeply empathetic, and that empathy drives our innovation.”
What the team have proven repeatedly is that to create successful and meaningful products in the gaming industry, you don’t necessarily need a million-dollar budget – teamwork is more important.
“For us, teamwork is everything. You can’t do this kind of creative problem-solving solo. Our flat team structure means ideas don’t just flow from the top. Developers, artists, writers – even interns – have a voice,” says Holly.
“When budgets are low, everyone contributes more than just their job title. That’s when trust, curiosity, and mutual respect become your biggest assets.”
In Holly’s view, high budgets might allow more opportunity for experimentation and customisation but can easily result in over-engineering or bloated processes. In contrast, limited budgets encourage a laser-focus approach.
“In some ways, a bigger budget doesn’t always mean a better product. It can dilute the vision if you’re not careful. Limited budgets demand ruthless clarity.”
Lessons from Limitation for startups
Mel believes that any startup, be it one developing a software product or something physical, can learn some key lessons from the ‘Innovation from Limitation’ approach.
- Design for iteration, not perfection
“Game development is inherently agile. Teams tends to develop a prototype early, test fast, and constantly refine. Startups outside gaming often wait too long to test ideas, whereas game development teaches you to get feedback early, even from rough, ugly builds.” - Make constraints part of the fun
“Games thrive on constraints, such as time limits, rules, and limited resources. Rather than seeing limitations as setbacks, use them as the very thing to drive creativity and user engagement. In game development, we know that too many features or functionalities can end up becoming confusing for the player learning how to play. It’s best to stick to your core mechanics.” - Be user-centric by design
“Great games are emotionally intuitive and rewarding. The game development industry tends to obsess over user experience, retention loops, and motivational design. But any startup can benefit from thinking more like a game designer. Ask yourself, how would your user feel at every moment of the experience of using your product? – and take your design cues from there.” - Build systems, not just products
“Games are living systems with feedback loops, economies, and player-driven behaviour. Similarly, good startups build ecosystems where customers become contributors, and where data, community, and storytelling fuel the experience. We look at analytics to see which story or mini-game is more successful and what we need to do more of, because the player likes it.” - Storytelling is strategy
“Every video game has a narrative, even if it’s just implied. The best and most successful gaming studios craft compelling emotional arcs in their products. Entrepreneurs should think the same way: your pitch, your product, your brand are all part of one story. Doing your research, testing your audience and understanding your market will all help you shape and share your story effectively, and ultimately save you from sinking time and money into a bottomless pit of unknowing.”
Today, as Geo AR Games looks ahead to celebrating its 10-year anniversary, Mel has never been more committed to the innovation from limitation approach that underpins the company’s work and is looking forward to announcing a new initiative that is emerging soon from it.
“We are currently working on a powerful new product development platform which we believe will revolutionise the way organisations engage with their local communities for cost-effective collaboration on innovative projects.”
For now, it seems that whatever limitations Geo AR Games might face, their approach to innovation will remain a powerful force that will guide the company towards a limitless future.
Interview and feature by Brendan Boughen.
