Loki’s Loop is a project of the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public.
Our first game, the Euphorigen Investigation, is an escape room, where teams of players work cooperatively to solve a series of puzzles. The immersive nature of the medium serves as an engaging way to interact with various deceptive tactics, such as manipulated charts, bot accounts, and deepfakes.
Experiential learning
Our live-action adventure games are experiential rather than skills-based, so players think more critically about the information they encounter online. Loki’s Loops games are available in two versions — online and in-person. The online version is played over video conferencing software (e.g., Microsoft Teams, Zoom) and a web browser. The in-person version is a kit that can be downloaded and printed for group play. Loki’s Loop games are optimally designed to be facilitated by a gamehost (e.g., librarians and teachers), which includes both the gameplay and a brief post-game discussion. Learning outcomes are enhanced when played with a gamehost.
Gaming localization
We’ve also partnered with organizations and individuals worldwide to localize our games, develop new games using co-design methods, and conduct cross-cultural research on the effects of the games. Please visit the Language Versions page to check out our games in various languages, and click here for more information about partnership opportunities.
Misinformation in context
Research shows different communities experience misinformation differently, and game appeal is heightened when set in contexts that are relevant to people’s lives. Using co-design methods we developed Galaxy with members of the BTS fandom community and Bo$$BabyKoin with Black activist scholars. We are also developing a game with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center for people with breast cancer.
Games shaped through research and co-design work
Loki’s Loop games are products of extensive research and co-design activities at the UW Center for an Informed Public in partnership with the GAMER Group, Kids Team, and the Technology & Social Change Group at the UW Information School, Seattle-based Puzzle Break, OCLC, and scores of educators who have tested our games in classrooms and libraries. Loki’s Loop game development and testing has been supported by grants from the CIP Innovation Fund, which jump-started early work on the Euphorigen Investigation, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, UW Population Health Initiative, National Library of Medicine, and the Cancer Consortium.
Learn more:
- Watch: Break free misinformation in an escape room
- UW Information School PhD students help develop, test escape room games
- Librarians and teachers describe their experience
- National Public Radio features Loki’s Loop escape room games in a “Morning Edition” segment on MisinfoDay 2024 at UW Seattle.