Integration without borders: discovering a city that breaks with traditional patterns

Case study: Integration without borders: discovering a city that breaks with traditional patterns

Client: A team comprising staff from two countries, working mainly remotely for an international technology company

Czas rozgrywki: 2-godzinna rozrywka na krakowskim Kazimierzu

Prep time: few weeks

Language: English

Task for the team EscapeCity:

When an international team, whose members work mainly remotely, meets in one place, challenges relating to communication, collaboration and team-building naturally arise. It was precisely this problem that a technology company approached us with; they were looking for a way to break down barriers between departments and create a space that fosters creativity. Their additional aim was to explore the city in an unconventional way, so that visiting staff could experience Kraków whilst taking part in a team-building event.

How can you combine exploring the city with building relationships?

Logistics:

Organising the event required careful attention to every detail to ensure it ran smoothly and that participants were fully engaged. The game route took in 30 unique locations in Kazimierz, and the whole event was planned to last two hours of dynamic fun.

To meet these expectations, we proposed an immersive AR city game: ‘Blackout: City in the Dark’, which combines sightseeing with a crime-themed storyline. During the game, participants had to solve puzzles, drawing on both logical thinking and teamwork within international teams.

Script and puzzles:

The scenario, based on a spy plot, took participants through a series of 18 challenging puzzles, in which they explored the city’s history and had to make use of modern technology. An additional element that added to the excitement of the game were augmented reality (AR) tasks and interactions with actors playing mysterious characters. Thanks to the meticulous organisation, participants were able to focus fully on the game, enjoying both the competition and teamwork.

Integration without borders – a game that brings people together, engages them and breaks down barriers – implementation:

The game not only helped the participants to bond and break down communication barriers, but also created a space in which they could get to know one another better, learn to work together effectively and test their skills in unusual situations. The competitive elements and collaborative puzzle-solving meant that each team had to rely on mutual support, sharing ideas and making quick decisions, which naturally fostered relationship-building and helped break down formal divisions within the team.

Thanks to the gripping storyline, modern technology and unexpected twists, the participants had no time to get bored – each successive puzzle drew them in even further, whilst the augmented reality (AR) elements added a ‘wow’ factor to the game. As well as classic logic puzzles, players had the chance to meet mysterious characters who guided them through a dark intrigue in Kraków’s Kazimierz district. The atmosphere of mystery and the detective-style tasks required not only analytical thinking, but also effective communication and cooperation between participants of different nationalities.

Exploring the city through games and adventure – results and summary:

Once the game was over, we heard a great many enthusiastic comments – the participants all agreed that this form of team-building had been a completely new and exciting experience for them. Many emphasised that it was the most enjoyable form of team-building they’d ever taken part in, and that the chance to explore the city through interactive play was far more interesting than a traditional sightseeing tour.

“Blackout: City in the Dark” proved that combining an urban game with modern technology and a narrative storyline is an excellent way to explore the city and bring a team together. This event not only brought people who work in different countries on a day-to-day basis closer together, but also showed them a completely different side to Kraków.

See you next time with another wonderful project!!

The EscapeCity team!

Let’s make something together!

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