A Labyrinth was an alternate reality game (ARG) developed at the University of Chicago during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was created to spur creativity and build community online under the unprecedented and emergent conditions of the pandemic. On April 6th, 2020, the game was unlocked with an opening puzzle that attracted approximately 3,500 players. In one week, on April 13th, these players were narrowed down to 73 core teams to compete in A Labyrinth by completing 140 quests. However, while the game included competitive play, it also had a parallel, collaborative dimension. Players were introduced to an interactive narrative format via a Twitch live streaming platform. Once a week, a new episode would air and players would help the “Taur” locate key hubs and hidden objects as they tried to make it back to the center of Labyrinth. On May 13, the game concluded with approximately 1,000 quests being submitted by participating teams.
A Labyrinth
game summary
quests
In order for teams to gain points in A Labyrinth, they completed a series of tasks posted to a Quest Board. In addition to the team competition, A Labyrinth contained a collaborative dimension of this challenge in which teams worked together to unlock new quests in the Labyrinth and to make progress toward the heart of the labyrinth. At the end, the four teams with the highest scores received cash prizes. Their position on the leaderboard depended on three kinds of quests:
1. Side Quests
These quests appeared on a regular basis on this board. They belonged to 7 categories: connecting, solving, making, playing, worldbuilding, moving, and researching. Each team could complete any or all of these quests for points. Certain select quests included bonus points for Instagram posts and/or the quality of the submissions as adjudicated by the Fourcaster central game council within a week of the quest being posted.
These quests invite you to make, design, build, draw, photograph, program, perform, or compose.
These quests ask you to move, exercise, or act.
These quests give you a puzzle with a single correct answer that solves to a word or phrase.
These quests invite you to play or design a game or meta-game.
These quests ask you to research or produce knowledge.
These quests call for you to speculate about or contribute to the world of the game and the labyrinth we have discovered via the SPORE device.
2. Object Quests
In Labyrinth, players collectively found objects. These objects triggered special object quests that were available to each team once they were unlocked.
3. Hub Quests
In Labyrinth, players sought out four major “hubs” before moving into the central hub: the Regenstein library. Each of these hubs triggered a major quest that was worth the highest number of points.
Hosted Hundreds
Harper Hang
Dream Dialogue
