02.09.2024

After climate change, biodiversity is the next big issue that will dominate the debate about our livelihoods. And with good reason, because our ecosystems have already exceeded the so-called planetary boundaries even further than climate change.

How can we avoid the paralysing effects of ignorance, frustration or feelings of guilt and instead motivate more people to actively want to stop the loss of biodiversity? How can we make it tangible that this can only be done as a team?

The perfect answer is — an escape room game. A game that deserves the label “supergut”, our brand for the promotion of biodiversity.

The hunt for Dr Mo No

The game idea: A fictitious tycoon, Dr Mo No, is up to mischief. He promises mankind independence from the whims of nature, but in return he wants to make us all the more dependent on his artificial product. But his brainchild cannot do without nature. On the contrary: Dr Mo No exploits it to the point of extinction. The criminal’s goal: a monopoly for his product and thus maximum profit. The goal of the game team: to put a stop to Dr Mo No and find his archive containing the genetic information of the species he has already killed.

Play stations

Welcome by the game masters in the “Mono-Store”. On the shelves here are hundreds of identical bottles filled with a miracle cure, supposedly the only one mankind still needs and exclusively produced by Dr Mo No, in whose company the players are now allowed to complete an “internship”.

Dr Mo No, played by “Tatort” series actor Stefan Gubser, emphasises in a video message how important all supporters are to his mission and thanks the “newcomers” in advance for being part of it.

On the way to their “workplace”, the game team is led through the storage room. Here, a game master reveals that Dr Mo No is actually a criminal who wants to abolish biodiversity. The game team must use their wits and co-operation to track him down.

In Dr Mo No’s laboratory, all kinds of biochemical experiments with hidden clues await the players, who, as involuntary investigators, have inadvertently become involved in a criminal case.

Dr Mo No’s office and a secret room hold further puzzles, the solution of which will ultimately lead the game team to victory over Dr Mo No.

At the end of their mission, the players have the opportunity to explore the relationship between the individual puzzles and various ecological topics in more detail in the lounge. After all, they hardly had time for this during the game itself. It is about challenges such as species decline, soil sealing or agricultural monocultures, but also about solutions such as water protection, local production or considerate leisure activities.

Operation

Three identical multi-room tracks and three accompanying scenographies have been installed over two floors and 600 square metres. 18 participants aged eleven and over can play through the game at the same time in the specified slot of one hour, making it suitable for school classes or company events.

As is usual with live escape room games, the progress of the game is monitored by the game masters via a monitor and, if necessary, supported with additional instructions.

Sustainability

It actually goes without saying: Anyone who wants to contribute to the preservation of nature with an escape room must conserve its resources more than anyone else.

That’s why the booking confirmation is also valid as a public transport ticket. That’s why only local crafts businesses and sheltered workshops were used for the construction. Most of the props were sourced from second-hand shops and salvage yards. And at the end of February 2025, all components of the experience will begin a second life in the Umweltarena Spreitenbach.

Impact

Even during the construction phase, it became clear that the idea of a live experience to promote biodiversity could become a self-perpetuating success. Slots for 1800 people were already booked before the opening. By the end of the planned (and already extended) duration, there are only a few places left for other companies from Liechtenstein and the Rhine Valley that want to register for a team event.

Awareness-raising initiatives by private organisations often only affect political players at a late stage, if at all. It is therefore all the more pleasing that the entire government of the Principality of Liechtenstein has already familiarised itself with the escape room game and is one of its earliest advocates.

Be there yourself

The “Hunt for Dr Mo No” can be played from 9 September 2024 to 28 February 2025 at Landstrasse 27, FL-9494 Schaan. Registration at supergut.li/escaperoom

Credits

The project is a collaboration between the Hilti Family Foundation Liechtenstein and Atoll AG (brand consulting/brand design), Geheimgang 188 GmbH (game design), Steiner Sarnen Schweiz AG (project management), GERRYFRICK Est. (construction management), Kreativ Akademie GmbH (game management), TUNA production AG (video production) and Flurin Camenisch and Jürgen Kühnis (scientific consulting). Photos: Julian Konrad, Paul Trummer, Aron Polcsik, Axel Eckstein.