Treasure hunting - the perfect opportunity to explore the city
Interactive treasure hunting games are a wonderful activity for both adults and children, for families or for teams working together.
The game speeds up learning and stimulates imagination and intelligence, increases job satisfaction and improves productivity, so you'll have fun racing on the streets and getting measurable results.
Treasure hunting - teamwork for adults
Being adults, we don't play enough, because most of the time life is not fun, when work and stress surround us from everywhere. But if you were to return to the feelings of your childhood just for a moment and allow yourself to feel again what feelings animated you during the treasure hunts, you would immediately reconnect to the joys of childhood.
And then, why wouldn't you allow yourself to enjoy modern treasure hunts from time to time? Why miss all the fun, when you need joy and good mood in the stressful life of an adult, in constant motion?!
Treasure hunters encourage teamwork
Treasure hunts are also the perfect platform for obtaining key results beneficial for a productive work environment: encouraging teamwork, physical activity and going out into nature after spending way too much time working!
When you get fully involved in the game, treasure hunts eliminate the sense of time and space and stimulate the imagination, which helps you think "outside the box" to solve problems.
Studies show that the game stimulates the development of the cerebral cortex and improves memory, so you learn better in a fun environment, when you are completely relaxed. In addition, the game is beneficial for your health and mental well-being. Besides all this, laughing with your colleagues helps you connect, facilitating communication when you return to the office.
Combine all these benefits with exploring the chosen city, and you will understand exactly that treasure hunting is clearly a winning bet.
City breaks are great to release tension, to eliminate stress, and visiting new places keeps your brain active. A scavenger hunt in a city offers the same benefits—the thrill of exploration and invigorating nature—a great motivation to get out of the office and go somewhere new.
The thrill of the search
Treasure hunters activate the team, which is extremely important, especially if you have a sedentary job. The game accelerates learning, increases job satisfaction and increases productivity, so that you can have fun looking for treasures on the streets, while obtaining some measurable results for your company.
Education
Treasure hunts are a great way to introduce your team to a new city, or maybe even your city, that they didn't know enough about. Perhaps you have moved your office and want to familiarize yourself with the new area, or perhaps you want your team to explore a new place, far from the city where you work.
Also, treasure hunts are a good solution if you are hiring new staff or bringing staff members to a new workspace. While you are on the hunt, your team will explore places in the city that they would otherwise never have known about.
Fun memories
Besides the fact that you will encourage some team skills, you will be able to be creative in terms of video and photo challenges during the treasure hunt. You can organize a competition between teams, with a well-thought-out strategy, and compete through a scoreboard and a photo wall. Photo images can be included in the next newsletter or on social media, so make sure you show the best smile possible, emphasizing that your team works hard, but also plays happily!
Treasure hunting - learning and involvement for children
Treasure hunting and location-based games are becoming increasingly popular in education, because they offer numerous benefits to students. These games can improve learning outcomes, engagement and promote teamwork and problem solving skills. We will detail in what follows the benefits of treasure hunters for education.
More involvement
Treasure hunting games offer an interactive and engaging learning experience that students can enjoy. By making the learning experience fun, students are more involved and motivated to participate in class activities.
Applicability in real life
Location-based games provide a practical application of the concepts that students learn in class. In this way, students will be able to better understand how they can apply the subjects they learn at school in the real world.
Problem solving skills
Treasure hunt games usually require students to solve puzzles or riddles to progress through the game. This helps students develop their problem-solving skills and improves their ability to think critically.
Better results
Treasure hunts can improve understanding of the subject. By experiencing the content in a practical way, students have more chances to retain the information. Location-based treasure hunting games require players to be actively involved in the learning process. Participants must use problem-solving skills, critical thinking and creativity to solve mysteries or riddles and find hidden objects. This type of active learning has proven to be more effective than passive learning, in which information is simply presented to students, without any interaction.
Teamwork
Location-based treasure hunting games can be played in teams, which encourages collaborative learning. Participants collaborate to solve mysteries or riddles and to find hidden objects, which encourages communication and teamwork. Collaborative learning contributes to the development of social skills, essential in many aspects of life, including education, work and personal relationships.
Integrate technology
Location-based games use technology to enhance the learning experience. Participants use GPS-enabled devices to navigate, which provides a real-world context for learning. Integrating technology into education is becoming more and more important at a time when we are moving towards an even more digital world, and these games offer an excellent opportunity to do so.
Developed spatial skills
The location-based treasure hunt has players navigating using a GPS-enabled device. This process contributes to the development of spatial skills, essential in many areas of education, including mathematics, science and geography. Spatial skills also play a vital role in developing the child's ability to understand and interpret visual information.
Research studies on treasure hunting games in education
There are a number of studies that have demonstrated the effectiveness of treasure hunting games in education.
A study conducted by the University of Central Florida found that a treasure hunt game can increase students' interest in history and improve their critical thinking skills. The study involved 30 students who played a game called "Pirate Adventure" that taught them about the history of pirates in the Caribbean. The results showed that the students who played this game understood the historical events better and were more involved in the learning process.
Another study, conducted by the University of Helsinki, Finland, found that a location-based game called "MathCityMap" could help children learn math. The game involved solving math problems in real-world locations such as parks and museums. The study involved 59 students who played the game for six weeks. The results showed that the students who played this game understood the mathematical concepts better and were more motivated to learn than those who did not play the game.
Researchers from the University of Aveiro, Portugal, also found in a study that a treasure hunting game called "Science at the mall" could improve science education for middle school students. The game was designed to teach students the scientific method and included challenges that required students to perform experiments and analyze data. The study involved 47 students who played the game for six weeks. The results showed that the students understood the scientific method better and were more motivated to learn the subject than those who did not play the game.
A study conducted by researchers at the University of Memphis, USA, found that a location-based game called "Memphis Heritage Trail" could improve history education for high school students. The game was designed to teach students about the history of the city of Memphis, Tennessee and included challenges that asked students to visit historical sites and answer questions about the city's history. The study involved 99 students who played the game for six weeks. The results showed that the students who played the game understood better the history of the city of Memphis and were more involved in the learning process than those who did not play the game.
Location-based games are also extremely beneficial for learning foreign languages. A study by researchers at the University of Nottingham, UK, found that a location-based game called "LingoCity" could improve foreign language learning for primary school students. The game was designed to teach students French vocabulary and included challenges that asked students to find and translate certain words from real-world locations. The study was attended by 40 students who played the game for six weeks. The results showed that the students who played the game understood French vocabulary better and were more motivated to learn the language than those who did not play.
These studies demonstrate the effectiveness of treasure hunt games and location-based games in improving school performance and increasing engagement in a variety of subjects.
Location, location, location
The location is extremely important in a treasure hunt, but the good news is that you can organize such games anywhere. Whether you choose the most convenient location from a logistical point of view, or choose a new place to explore, anything is possible!
There are many travel applications and web resources that you can choose from when trying to decide the area for treasure hunting. And if it seems to you that the old paper travel guides you used to take with you in your backpack have lost their place of honor, well... there are many stylish travel guides that you can use for a memorable experience.
Conclusion
Treasure hunting games and location-based learning games offer many educational and teamwork benefits. These games can improve learning outcomes, increase engagement, and promote teamwork and problem-solving skills.