Escape Fake: AR escape game

Escape Fake: AR escape game

Escape Fake is an AR escape game that helps youngsters to grasp the concepts of fake news and the importance of critical thinking – all through a gamified experience.

THE COMPANY

Polycular is an interactive design and technology studio that pairs creativity and technological innovation to create experience spaces in the real and virtual world. With over 20 years of work experience, the studio collective produces award-winning games, apps, interactive advertisement solutions and audio/visual events for clients around the world.

THE GOAL

  • Create purpose-led escape reality game to spark critical thinking

Born into the era of constant information overload, many young people have a hard time adjusting their perspectives on what is going on in the world. Where the old approaches are not working, AR technology steps in. Escape Fake is an AR app developed to fight fake news with a playful educational experience. It helps digital natives build skills such as problem-solving, creativity, and resilience.

THE SOLUTION

  • AR enabled escape game

AR app: Escape Fake [ Google Play – App Store ]

Escape Fake is a free app built around the story of a dystopian, post-truth world. To develop the game, Polycular worked with students aged 14-18 to create an interactive AR escape room that will help understand more about targeted disinformation and fake news.

To set the scene, players get a friend request on social media from a quantum reality hacker who helps them debunk two fake stories to fix the future. Immersed in the mixed reality experience that transforms physical space into an escape room, users find clues, check facts, research, solve riddles to “escape” the fake.

Players and educators can download and print the art-style markers, which are scanned using image tracking to uncover collectible 3D elements. These can be combined to uncover clues, solve puzzles and help users find out how the information was manipulated.

Polycular studio has tested the game with over 500 teenagers in educational workshops:

  • 75% of players were immersed in the game while playing it
  • 53% had a sense of purpose and motivation while playing Escape Fake
  • 51% wanted to play the game at home, for fun
Escape Fake AR escape game for digital natives

Escape Fake: AR escape game for digital natives

THE AR APP DEVELOPER

Empathy, dramaturgy and storytelling became underlying qualities of Polycular’s work and shape their products and services. Alongside the work for clients, Polycular collective develops self-driven projects rooted in the sense of social responsibility about the role of technology in shaping a future world. The studio have produced works in the field of playful learning and mixed reality for companies such as Bayer, REWE, Lufthansa, Siemens, UEFA, PORR, DOKA and many more.

THE AR TECHNOLOGY

This AR feature is used to detect, track and digitally augment 2D images – ideal for augmenting customized image targets, magazines, books, user manuals, packaging, catalogs, coasters, gaming cards and much more.

Why Wikitude ?

We wanted to create an exciting and immersive experience for young people to engage with the topic of misinformation. With the Wikitude marker-based tracking, educators and players can easily download the marker set and run the game in workshops or at home, without worrying about the AR technology. Educators reach out to us constantly and are thrilled to have this accessible, easy-to-use tool!
Irina Paraschivoiu | Strategist | Polycular
 

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