New CW Game Incorporates Mobile Media

By Amber Lester Kennedy Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Two teenage girls tied their blue handkerchiefs around their heads, like the karate kid. One boy wrapped his handkerchief around his leg. I tied mine in a knot around my purse straps.

The blue fabric served as a symbol that we were all friends of liberty, part of a network of people moving through Colonial Williamsburg to uncover a threat to one of the Revolution’s most important figures. We were participants in RevQuest, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s new game that adds a tech component to the Historic Area experience for visitors.

CW launched “RevQuest: Sign of the Rhinoceros” on Friday. The game, which is free with a Colonial Williamsburg admission ticket, is structured like a scavenger hunt, with players searching for clues to identify who will be affected by what threat and where it will occur.

It is also CW’s first effort to incorporate mobile media into their activities. Players register online, and are linked to a page about the American Revolution that will give participants all the background they need to understand the context of their mission. Players also must have a cell phone enabled for text messaging to participate; when it’s time to begin the game, they’ll text a code to a designated number and will receive clues and directions.

Colonial Williamsburg wanted to find a way to tap the spirit of alternative reality games and use technology to keep participants engaged. Bill Weldon, director of historic area programs, said one of his colleagues was a fan of the “National Treasure” movies starring Nicolas Cage and proposed creating a game that challenged kids to help save the Revolution. They came up with the name, RevQuest, and went from there, crafting a narrative, coming up with characters and training staff.

They began testing the game with employees’ kids in the past month and after addressing some hiccups, including trouble with the texting service, opened the game to visitors on Friday. They can sign up either online when planning their trip or at the Visitor’s Center, where they’ll receive a packet of instructions, a cipherbook, the blue handkerchief and other necessary items to play the game. On its first day, RevQuest had about 500 registered players and about 200 actually played that day, said Jim Bradley, communications manager for CW. It was a big response for a brand new program, and Weldon was happy to hear the game had affected at least one family’s plans.

“On the first day, a family said they were going to leave on Thursday but decided to stay another day to play the game,” he said.

I knew, in theory, what the game was supposed to be like but I wanted to try it for myself. With Bradley as my teammate, I went to the Prentis House, where the game was set to begin, on Monday afternoon. It starts on the half-hour every hour between 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. The Prentis House is close by Dr. George Pitt’s apothecary, a building with a sign in the shape of a rhinoceros. That’s how players know they’re in the right place.

Eventually, a young woman approached those of us wearing blue handkerchiefs. She looked cautiously from side to side as she corralled the participants into a well-concealed garden. At that point, she explained that the friends of liberty had learned one of their leaders might be in danger, but did not know any more than that. Because she is well-known and recognizable in town, she needed us to try to piece together the plot against our leader. She would help us in any way she could, and told us she was Agent 368. In the narrative of the game, Agent 368 is the sender of our text-messaged clues; Bradley said it takes a little suspension of disbelief.

She also told us to be wary of the villagers we encountered while we tried to decipher clues. Some, like her, were friendly to the cause and would be wearing blue ribbons; others would appear to be friendly, but might be spies for the British. With that, she sent us on our way.

I learned in my 90 minutes of game-playing that RevQuest definitely takes teamwork. I can imagine it’s perfect for families because kids and parents will bring different perspectives to each challenge, and can help each other along the way.

The game forces the players to test their powers of observation. The clues are given as riddles, so players have to focus on the identifying characteristics of certain buildings and signs. Even though Bradley had played once before, we still managed to stumble on some clues and I watched one family search fruitlessly for information in the wrong place until they had to ask a townsperson wearing a blue ribbon for help.

It took us a little over 90 minutes to complete the game, including time to rest in the shade when the temperature climbed too high. Players can move at their own paces, and the game is designed to allow families to still take breaks to see attractions, eat meals or even rest for the night.

Once the mission is complete, players receive a token of thanks and are directed to a website reserved only for trusted comrades.

Player registration is open online now here. The first game clue is now available online. The game, which is free with admission to the Historic Area, concludes Aug.31.