Interactive quests: conquering younger visitors
“Metaquests”, or interactive quests, can be very engaging ways to encourage participation, particularly when it comes to the younger generation. These quests entice their visitors into actively engaging in self-guided itineraries which catalyse their understanding of complex topics and reflection on societal issues. To develop these “breadcrumb trails”, designers use a wide range of interactive technologies, from RFID bracelets to simple sheets of paper. They draw on a variety of gamification approaches including immersion, problem solving and storytelling, among others.
In this session, experienced practitioners will inspire and share their own experiences and in small groups, participants will be challenged to develop their own metaquest based on an existing space and share their concept with the group.
Session speakers
For 18 years, Caroline Julien has been producing digital games to empower young learners and help them develop 21st century skills. In this session, she will discuss how interactive quests based on connected objects and various user interfaces could impact the user experience in science centres, and how they can be freely deployed in space. One inspiring exemple : the award-winning exhibition Indigenous Ingenuity, co-developed with the Montreal Science Centre.
For 14 years, Lars Maria Schnatmann has been creating digital and hybrid games, and doing research about game-based learning. In this session, he will discuss how immersive interactive quests can be developed, based on the user intrinsic motivation approach. He will also describe how hybrid productions could expand from the traditional interface. He will share an inspiring example, the mining game (https://vimeo.com/346380011) co-developed for the Deutsches Bergbau Museum in Bochum, Germany.
As a director at YIPP, Wouter gets excited to break the boundaries between the physical and digital worlds. Telling the stories of an endless array of fascinating subjects from the milky way to dinosaurs, and inspiring and engaging museum visitors are what gets him out of bed every morning. He will discuss the challenges of developing BOS (Dutch for forest), an interactive world created with Natuurmuseum Brabant, where children aged 4 - 8 can discover and learn about the forest environment.
Sixty minutes, a science centre, and a hundred kids very enthusiastic with science (i.e. aiming to destroy with passion any interactives they can find): these are the basic ingredients we have to sparkle interest and train the next generation of scientists. At the Montreal Science Centre, this is a challenge that Cybèle Robichaud has loved to accept for the last 15 years. Formerly project leader of exhibitions, and now director of programming, she will share successful stories… and others from which she learned a lot!
