Paulo Avelino and fellow dads open family-friendly PlaySpace

July 21 ------ Actor Paulo Avelino has ventured into family entertainment with the opening of PlaySpace, a 1,000-square-meter indoor playground designed to encourage children to learn, play and socialize in a safe environment. PlaySpace officially opened with a blessing and ribbon-cutting ceremony at Ayala Malls Vermosa in Imus, Cavite.

Avelino, who has a son, Aki, with actress LJ Reyes, partnered with fellow fathers Adam Vinluan, John Gonzales and Bugsy Lising to develop the concept over nearly two years. Each founder oversees a different aspect of the business. Vinluan serves as CEO and president, managing overall operations and policies; Gonzales heads business development; Avelino leads marketing; and Lising supervises day-to-day operations.

According to Avelino, the business began during casual online gaming sessions among the longtime friends. “It’s actually the brainchild of Adam. It’s a funny story because about two years ago, we were just playing games and talking on Discord when he suddenly brought it up out of nowhere. I said yes, and from there we started working on it,” Avelino said. Behind the playground’s colorful attractions is one father’s experience raising a child with developmental needs.

Vinluan’s four-year-old son was diagnosed with Global Developmental Delay (GDD), a condition that could later be associated with autism spectrum disorder. As a first-time father, Vinluan soon realized how difficult it was to find places where his son could safely play, interact with other children and continue developing his social and motor skills.

“I’m a first-time dad, and my kid is now four years old. Two years ago, he was diagnosed with GDD, and that could potentially mean he also has autism,” Vinluan said. “As a dad, you worry so much. We were told to bring him to places like playgrounds where he could be exposed to games and interact with other kids because that would really help his development,” he added. “But every time we went to playgrounds, they were always full. Even booking therapy sessions was difficult. That’s when I saw the opportunity. Aside from helping my own child have a place to play, I also wanted other kids to enjoy the same experience. If we could build something that helps families while creating a fun place for children, then I thought it would be a good thing to do.”

Vinluan shared the idea with his friends, who immediately embraced it. “Usually we’re just casual gamers. We like hanging out and playing games together. I brought up the idea to them, and that’s where everything started. The four of us are all dads, all gamers, and even many of our investors are gamers too,” he said.

PlaySpace features slides, obstacle courses, a large ball pit, interactive play stations, dress-up areas, cooking and baking activities, and other attractions designed to stimulate children’s creativity, imagination and sensory development. It also has a 150-square-meter event space for birthday parties and other family celebrations.

The founders intentionally designed the venue to offer more than a place for children to play. “We spent a lot of time thinking about what was missing from other play areas. A good function room was one of the things we kept talking about. We wanted families to have a place not just for kids to play but also where parents could celebrate together,” Lising said.

Beyond entertainment, the partners hope PlaySpace will encourage children to spend less time on gadgets and more time exploring, moving and interacting with others. “Nowadays, kids are becoming addicted to gadgets. It’s nice to have a safe space where they can freely be themselves, run around and actually not be on their phones,” Avelino said. “I grew up in Baguio, where we had the luxury of running around outside, but in Metro Manila, everything is so cramped. We wanted to create a place where kids can simply enjoy being kids,” he added.

Safety was another major consideration in developing the facility. According to the founders, PlaySpace follows building safety standards and limits the number of guests to maintain a comfortable environment for children and their companions. Staff members are trained to promote respectful behavior and discourage bullying while allowing children to interact naturally under the supervision of parents or guardians.

While PlaySpace’s flagship branch is at Ayala Malls Vermosa, the group hopes it will be the first of several locations. “Hopefully this isn’t our last branch. We’d like to open more locations and even explore different concepts in the future. It could be another type of play space, maybe something with a different theme like dinosaurs or something else. There are a lot of possibilities,” Avelino said.

Source: manilatimes.net