ESCAPE ROOMS IN SCHOOLS: PHYSICAL AND VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS FOR LEARNING
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Abstract
Escape rooms are group games where players are required to search for clues, solve puzzles and complete tasks in one or more rooms in order to achieve a pre-defined objective. Most often, the aim is to find a way of escaping from the room itself within a certain time limit. In recent years, escape rooms have grown in popularity and have started to be adopted for educational purposes. This contribution summarises the main features of this kind of game and the elements that make it engaging. It then goes on to analyse the educational potential of escape rooms both in subject areas and for developing 21st century skills. Finally, the paper examines in depth how cutting edge immersive technologies support the implementation of virtual or mixed reality escape rooms, thereby making the game more adaptable and sustainable in formal educational contexts.
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