How often do you get the chance to develop your own escape room? For me as academic, that chance doesn’t come around all too often. But between 2021 and 2023, I was able to put my research interests to good use as part of team OSER (Open Science Escape Room). Anita Eerland – my former UU roommate who is now at Radboud University – received a 50.000 euro grant from the NWO Open Science Fund. As co-applicant, I got to work with her, Alexander Gierholz from Logic Locks, and Francine Boon and Victor van Doorn from Sherlocked, on developing an online escape room that should promote the principles of Open Science – but without being pushy.
The goal of this escape room is to reach people who are not yet very familiar and/or very willing to engage in Open Science practices. Everyone who works in higher education or research can play the game in teams of 2-5 people. In the game, you play a team of consulting astronauts who are send to a spaceship we have lost contact with. The mission? To find out what happened to the crew. Throughout this game, you solve puzzles and problems by collaborating as a team and putting your academic knowledge to good use. After finishing the game, there is a beautiful space where you can discuss the game, discover more about Open Science, and (my personal favorite) take a space selfie!
Interested in playing the game yourself? Find yourself a couple of teammates and check out the game website for more information and access codes. Have fun!
