Let's play!
Escape games in schools
We developed an escape game to be used in vocational orientation for students
from 12 to 16 years old. Within the game, typical job situations and knowledge about IT professions can be experienced and acquired. Professions in web development as well as the concept of open source are presented to the players.
Why did we develop this product?
There is a need in schools across disciplines. Teachers are being tasked with advancing students' knowledge and competences in digitization, career orientation and media skills.
A lack of early professional orientation has led to the reality that many professional fields are no longer considered by young people later on. We are therefore addressing relatively young students using a playful approach.
We know that gender-sensitive career orientation works. Measures are needed to counteract gender-cliché career choices in order to interest girls in IT professions.
Objectives and target groups
The escape game is the door opener into the ITONBOARD program.
We enable playful access (gamification) to the professional field of IT through a low-threshold experience format.
The primary target group are teachers at general education schools (secondary level I and II).
We want to generate interest in IT in a playful way, especially among girls, and according to the data available, escape games seem to be a suitable method.
Our goal with the Escape Game is to create a particularly motivating teaching method (known as “digital breakout" or "edu breakout”), with a focus on promoting skills in social and communicative areas.
Let's play
If you are a teacher and would like to play the escape game in your class, you may sign up for a free teacher's account in the game administration app.
How does the Escape Game work?
Within a given time limit (60 minutes), your students decrypt codes for (digital or real) locks with digital or real-life puzzles in the classroom.
The key to success in the game: good communication and division of labor in the team.
The game can be played with groups of 10 to 30 participants with minimal use of resources by the organizing teachers.
In addition to the digital Escape Game platform which guides teachers through the organization of the game and will contains digital puzzles and video clips, there is also some analogue game material (locks, puzzle material, etc.).
Project results
The concept for the ITONBOARD Escape Game has been developped throughout 2021. To learn more about students' needs and attitudes, a survey has been conducted among students across Europe.
The game has been tested for the first time in a school setting in November 2021.
Prior to playing the escape game, students are offered an interest assessment test. This assessment test is available since spring 2022.
In order to transfer the escape game to as many schools as possible, a general implementation concept for teachers is available since spring 2022.
A digital platform to manage the game is available for teachers and students since spring 2022.
All project results are publicly available at the project portal:
Lead organisation
The lead organisation for this project module is Interaktiv.