HI, I’M EMYO
♥ App Profile
Genre: Game, Children, Adventure, Education
Target Audience: Children Age 8 and Up
Platforms: iOS (Apple App Store) + Android (Google Play Store)
Target Devices: Smartphones + Tablets
Language: English, Spanish, German
Pricing Model: Freemium (In-app purchase for EUR 7.99)
Preview Video (german)
App Content Overview
- Lovingly rendered planets to play on and discover
- Interactive imaginary companion “EMYO”
- 6 missions to make children more confident and courageous
- SpaceBall (a ball game) with 30 levels
- Interactive passport showing in-game progress
- Developed with lots of heart and our own children in mind
Store Preview Pics
Contact the EMYO Team
Questions, suggestions or problems using the app? Just send an e-mail to: hallo@refutura.de
Credits
An app by refutura GmbH, Cologne
Illustration and Art Direction: Steffi Krohmann
Development and Game Design: epicsauerkraut studio
2D Animation: Carlo Palazzari
Sound Design: Jonas Engelke
Translations: Keywords Studios
Idea and Concept: Simon Sturm
Project Development Partner:
+++ Winner of the Annual Multimedia Award 2025 (Silver) +++
+++ Nominated for the German Developer Award 2024 +++
+++ Nominated for the Children’s Software Award TOMMI 2024 +++
App Yourself Strong!
In times of war, climate crisis and inflation, an increasing number of children and adolescents look to the future with a sense of pessimism. The study “Youth in Germany”, which interviewed more than 2,000 persons, shows: many young people are suffering from mental strain and losing their optimism. To solve this problem, the onus is – of course – on politicians, educators and parents, but digital applications can also play a part by providing pre-emptive support. Our humble contribution: the app EMYO, which aims to make children more confident and courageous from a primary school age upward. EMYO playfully promotes a so-called “growth mindset”, which can help children in many everyday situations and make them more resilient in the face of problems and crises.
Object of the Game
EMYO is an interactive companion, half fox and half human, who takes children on an exciting journey into outer space where they can discover different planets. The mission: to make kids stronger by playfully teaching them the kinds of lessons they will need in their everyday lives, and which aren’t often taught at school.
EMYO – the name is an abbreviation of “Empower Yourself” – teaches children in the core age group of 8-11 how to achieve inner growth and reach their goals. The app is lovingly hand-designed and intuitive to use. Its extraordinary user guidance allows children to play at their own pace as they explore its interactive outer space. Every planet opens up a new mission, thus instilling in its young users a growing sense of confidence. The app was developed under the guidance of education specialists, but it does not aim to be “just” a learning experience – above all, it should be fun.
App Marketing
The app is monetized via the so-called freemium model: the beginning of the game and the first two missions can be played at no cost, but then users must purchase the full version. Also available is a licensing model that allows schools, associations, and other educational institutions to acquire a discount license for a larger user group. We are always open to potential new partners.
The EMYO app was initially released for iPhones on the Apple App Store in May 2024, followed by a version optimized for iPads and a version for Android devices in the Google Play Store. Since November 2024, EMYO has been available in 176 countries around the world in English, Spanish and German.
App Team
The app was conceived and developed with a lot of heart by a small team based in Cologne, Germany. The team’s core consists of a game developer, an illustrator and art director, a 2D animator, a sound designer and a product developer. We also consult with education and gaming specialists. Our joint EMYO objective: to make children stronger.
The idea for the app was selected by a specialist jury and subsidized in its concept development and production stages by the renowned North Rhine Westphalian Film and Media Foundation.
What a Growth Mindset Achieves
Human behavior is substantially influenced by the way we think. Psychologist Carol Dweck has shown over many years of research that most people tend towards one of two fundamental ways of thinking: a Fixed Mindset or a Growth Mindset. People with a fixed mindset are more likely to believe that abilities and weaknesses are inherent and hard to change. People with a growth mindset, however, are convinced that they can keep evolving and even acquire new skills. They don’t see mistakes as failures but as opportunities to learn from. They approach problems optimistically, not thinking “I can’t do that” but “I can’t do that YET”.
This little word – “yet” – has enormous power. A study by Carol Dweck involving more than 168,000 pupils in Chile showed that children from lower-income families were much more likely to have a fixed mindset than their schoolmates from more affluent families. However, a comparison between only children from lower-income backgrounds revealed something more: when these children developed a growth mindset, they achieved similar grades to their higher-income schoolmates. In other words: imparting a growth mindset at an early age can provide for more equality of opportunities. Children’s way of thinking has the power to substantially increase or decrease the negative effects of economic disadvantages on their scholastic performance. Shouldn’t we, then, help as many kids as possible – however different their backgrounds – to grow up with a growth mindset? EMYO, at any rate, is our humble contribution.
Let’s go! App Yourself Strong!