Unlock the location of a researcher lost in Ulu Muda
Congratulations! You've won a trip to the Ulu Muda Forest to help investigate a fall in the local Clouded Leopard population - an effect of industrial deforestation. After a bit of celebrating you arrive in Malaysia to find a fully equipped field tent, yet the researcher is missing. It's on you to retrace their work and gather clues on where to look. Hurry though, the clock is ticking.
Immersed in Conservation is a digital escape room that explores connections between individual buying habits and deforestation in places like Ulu Muda. Designed with University of Nottingham for National Geographic, the game highlights how human actions impact the lives of the creatures with whom we share the planet.
All Ages
Digital Escape Room
Deforestation
The Challenge
The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a shift in educational escape rooms from physical activities to virtual experiences that can be enjoyed from home. Immersed in Conservation is an example, with the challenge being to develop a digital iteration of an in-person escape room already used by students in schools and other public venues. Like the physical version, our game must encourage players to empathise with the idea that small decisions like buying palm-oil rich cookies or bottled water can have a cumulative effect on the health of distant ecosystems.
To start we deconstructed the original escape room to understand its core mechanics and messaging. We then redeveloped puzzles and storylines to help players critically reflect on environmental conservation within the context of a short-form, standalone game. New scenarios were also added to the game to directly connect everyday decisions to global consequences, including a trip to the supermarket to buy food and drink for a farewell party. Multiplayer mechanics were also developed, including the ability for players to pass puzzles to friends if they needed help.
Echo Games transformed our physical escape room into an extraordinary digital experience that exceeded all expectations.
