Another Look: the learning game to engage and educate high school students
- AVIS
Blood donation and volunteering are two critically important issues that deserve to be promoted among young people so that the younger generation becomes aware of their social responsibility. To approach this goal, AnotheReality, a leading immersive solutions company, and AVIS, the Italian Blood Volunteers Association, have collaborated to create an educational and interactive app called Another Look.
The project
Another Look is a learning game that mixes elements of storytelling and detective adventure to bring teenagers closer to the issues AVIS cares about. The app is aimed at high school students in the 2022-2023 school year as a tool to stimulate young people’s interest and curiosity, and encourages them to discuss with their peers and teachers.
The Story
The plot of Another Look revolves around the disappearance of Marco, a schoolmate of the main character Elena. Students, like Elena, find themselves investigating the matter, collecting clues, and solving puzzles to reconstruct the events that led to the boy’s disappearance. During the investigation, users will get to experience firsthand episodes from Marco’s life through interactive flashbacks, which can be viewed with a Google Cardboard or smartphone. The goal of the app is to engage students in an active and fun way, making them feel part of an adventure where a sense of responsibility and civic engagement are key elements. In addition, the ending of the story – which sees Marco found after going to donate blood without warning- demonstrates that donating blood is an ordinary, everyday action that should be promoted and not hidden.
The technology
Another Look was developed for Android and iOS devices, and is free to download from their respective stores. The app leverages the potential of virtual and augmented reality to provide an immersive and engaging experience that stimulates students’ interest and participation. In addition, the ability to use a Cardboard or smartphone to view flashbacks through VR makes the experience even more interactive and engaging.
Conclusions
Another Look represents a concrete example of how technology can be used to promote important values and issues such as blood donation and volunteerism. The collaboration between AnotheReality and AVIS has resulted in an innovative app that, thanks to its narrative structure and use of VR solutions, succeeds in conveying a positive and socially relevant message, bringing young people closer to these issues in a playful and engaging way.
The hope is that Another Look is just the beginning of a series of projects that combine technology and social responsibility to form citizens who are aware and active in their civic engagement. Indeed, the importance of initiatives like this lies in their ability to positively influence future generations, helping to create a more supportive, empathetic, and responsible society.
To pass each level and move on to the next, it will be necessary to solve all the puzzles present. To solve the puzzle, the player must find the necessary clues in the form of interacting objects and characters.
Each scenario has a hidden interaction, which can be activated only after finding certain clues, usable with (or without) a cardboard, taking advantage of the swipe mechanic to explore the environment. In this way, the player’s point of view will switches to the first-person perspective making the player fully immersed in the character.
The application is available from the Android and IOS stores. The game is structured in two parts: the second half of the game is unlockable only with a code provided by tutors during the classroom lesson (later made publicly available on the AVIS website).
To play Another Look, students will need a smartphone (Android or IOS) and, optionally, a Cardboard.