Snailpocalypse: A Physical Escape Room Game for Students Fostering Data Visualisation Literacy

Authors

Christina Stoiber (St. Poelten University of Applied Sciences), Magdalena Boucher (St. Pölten University of Applied Sciences), Julia Böck (Institute of CreativeMedia/Technologies), Kate Farrell (University of Edinburgh), Jasmeen Kanwal (University of Edinburgh), Wolfgang Aigner (University of Applied Sciences St. Pölten)

Abstract

Educational escape rooms have emerged as a promising game-based learning format to engage students with complex subject matter in a motivating setting. Data visualisation literacy is an increasingly important skill for students in a data-driven society, yet it remains underrepresented in formal education. In this paper, we present Snailpocalypse, a physical escape room designed to foster data visualisation literacy among secondary education students aged 13–17. Following an iterative, user-centred design approach, we developed three puzzle stations, each embedding a different chart type within a narrative about a catastrophic snail virus outbreak, and a final puzzle: a combination-lock box containing small gifts. Each combination locks open with a pin code obtained by solving the three puzzles. We evaluated the escape room in three playtesting sessions with different participant groups: four visualisation experts, 19 secondary school students in Linz, Austria, and 12 visitors to a science outreach event at a university. The results indicate consistently high ratings for enjoyment, immersion, and teamwork across all three groups, while self-reported learning outcomes were moderate, pointing to the need for formal pre- and post-test evaluations in future work. All materials are open-source, enabling educators to deploy and adapt the game for classrooms of 20–30 students.