In our new Escape game solve puzzles from the world of pollinators

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"Project Pollination: A Buzzing Rescue” is a browser-based Escape Game. | Copyright: LIB, K. Stehr | Download

Hinweis zur Verwendung von Bildmaterial: Die Verwendung des Bildmaterials zur Pressemitteilung ist bei Nennung der Quelle vergütungsfrei gestattet. Das Bildmaterial darf nur in Zusammenhang mit dem Inhalt dieser Pressemitteilung verwendet werden. Falls Sie das Bild in höherer Auflösung benötigen oder Rückfragen zur Weiterverwendung haben, wenden Sie sich bitte direkt an die Pressestelle, die es veröffentlicht hat.

The city map showing the locations where the players receive the puzzles. | Copyright: LIB | Download

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The browser-based game takes players to a fictitious city aiming to win the title "BiodiverCity - The city with the highest biodiversity in Germany". To achieve this, they have to solve puzzles and tasks related to pollination under time pressure. But only those who significantly change the cityscape and create a paradise for pollinators such as hoverflies, bees and butterflies will win first place.

“Project Pollination: A Buzzing Rescue" was developed by a team from the Visitor and Education Research and Exhibition Department of Museum Koenig Bonn in close cooperation with the gamification agency Pfeffermind in Berlin. It addresses all game enthusiasts and interested people from the age of 13. The game can be played alone or with multiple players. For those who want to solve the puzzles in a group, a video conferencing tool is also needed. The game is free, and everyone can start playing directly in the browser in German or English without registration.

The center of the game is a map of the city with various locations. At each of these locations, the citizens present puzzles to the players. What can I plant on my windowsill? This question arises, for example, in an apartment building. The maximum game duration is limited to 60 minutes. Within this hour, a year passes in the game, during which players can expect new puzzles and tasks in four seasons. To solve these, they must collect and combine clues and information. "It was important to us to share interesting facts about pollination and biodiversity in a playful way and to give the players practical tips on how they can easily support pollinators at any time of year," explains Dr. Inga Specht, head of the Education and Visitor Research department. The game therefore focuses on the pollinators outside our doors and their importance, not only for us humans, but also for nature and thus the entire ecological cycle.

The game is based on research and practice on Serious Games and Game-based Learning, aiming, for example, to combine knowledge transfer and games. The evidence-based development of the game on the topic of biodiversity is driven by the question of whether Escape Games can transfer knowledge in a sustainable way. As an online version, the game can be played independently of a visit to the museum. In addition, the Educational Escape Game is part of a research project in which two game versions are to be compared with each other with regard to their sustainable knowledge transfer.

The project is funded by the European Union as part of the Union's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Action and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Trailer (German):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExXNvzLcoE8

Wissenschaftlicher Ansprechpartner:
Dr Inga Specht
Head of Department Visitor & Education Research, Museum Koenig Bonn
i.sprecht@leibniz-lib.de