EUNICE European University launches a virtual escape room in light of the European elections
An unknown threat now shows over Europe: ten rebel groups calling themselves the “Disruptors” are spreading chaos and division across the continent. EUNICE European University will become a supranational intelligence agency dedicated to safeguarding Europe’s future, and from 9 to 23 May, its students can participate in the mission to protect the European Union.
This is the synopsis of “Code Europa: The Disruptor Dilemma” virtual escape room, an online spy game which the EUNICE European University has developed in the occasion of Europe Day (9 May) and the upcoming European Parliament elections (9 June).
As part of the experiential learning activities offered by EUNICE, this escape room will be open to participation by the 150,000 people studying at universities within the consortium, present in ten European countries (discover if your university is a member of EUNICE). Participation will be individual and in English, through the eunice-university.eu website. Players can only use their official university user email address and their objective will be to complete all the challenges with the highest possible score in one single attempt. Players will take on the role of spies from the “EUNICE supranational agency” and engage in different games, tests, and questions related to important current topics regulated politically at the European level: climate change, economy, migration, and security.
The prizes
According to the head of the EUFIREG module at the University of Cantabria (UC), collaborator in the development of the game, Prof. Marcos Fernández, “students will gain a deeper understanding of European issues while having fun and competing in the escape room. The top-ranked students competing across all EUNICE consortium will be awarded a trip to Brussels to explore the birthplace of European institutions. At the same time, each partner university may give alternative prizes to their own students.
As an institution of higher education committed to democratic values, this EUNICE initiative aims to “enhance knowledge about the political system of the European Union, its function, and how it impacts us as citizens in our daily lives,” says Prof. Elisa Baraibar, member of EUGREEN Jean Monnet Module and vice-dean at the Faculty of Business and Economics of the UC: “In this regard, the European Parliament significantly influences political decision-making that subsequently extends to the national and local levels.”
