History tells us who we are and how that came to be. Awareness of this helps with active involvement of all participants in society. That's why it's important to stimulate children early on to have an interest in history.
This is why Ranj, commissioned by Vandejong and Stichting Anno, developed the alternate reality webgame De orde van GIS. The goal: making children more historically aware.
The combination of reality, history and fiction makes playing an exciting and educational experience. The webgame builds on the Orde van GIS holiday book by Anno. Both are constructed so that the transition between fantasy, game and reality is always gradual.
Secret club
De orde van GIS (where GIS stands for 'secret interesting investigation' or 'history is exciting') is a secret club consisting of four children. They research mysterious graffiti on the large flood barrier in Zeeland.
Players can participate but first they have to pass a test. With that, they can prove that they know enough about history and are brave enough to become a member. Once they succeed at the test, they get an e-mail with an access code for the secret part of the website. There, the club maintains a weblog about the progress of the investigation.
Players can't finish the game at once. They get information through e-mail and the weblog to solve a piece of the puzzle. Then they place their own findings on the site. A day later, the other club members have made new discoveries. Step by step, the secret of the graffiti unravels.
In a nutshell
- De orde van GIS is exciting because of the multi-day interaction model.
- Using different media blurs the line between game and reality.
- Players gain knowledge of history in a playful way.
