Future’s Brightest Scientists

"Future’s Brightest Scientists" was showcased during Culture Night 2019 at the IT University of Copenhagen and was the first prototype created during my research stay at the Center of Digital Play. The experience involved a chemistry-themed Escape Room designed to prompt children to "think like scientists". Play sessions lasted 30 minutes, involved 3-5 participants and took place in a pop-up chemistry laboratory. The goal was not to "escape" but to reach a specific product: a density column with three stacked solutions in different colors. Children solved puzzles involving the same methodical procedures that scientists use on a day to day basis: they created and used instruments to make scientific measurements, they recorded and analyzed data, they communicated and synchronized tasks, etc.
In order to design this experience, I consulted relevant literature on Serious and Educational Games, I surveyed the curriculum and Science manuals from multiple European countries, looked through online or physical chemistry experiments and games and employed multiple practice based methods.

I wrote an informative blog post about it here: https://charming-etn.eu/2020/06/24/transformation-of-matter-from-child-to-scientist/