A secret society is at risk of falling into the hands of an enemy force that could threaten the
very existence of humanity. The adventure awaits just around the corner.
The only catch … you are the one saving the world.
“Decoding DaVinci,” an escape room scavenger hunt with a special immersive theatrical twist, which features UC San Diego’s campus as the backdrop, is running this summer for families
and friends to enjoy.
UCSD ArtPower is offering the attraction through July 19 to give students and the community an opportunity to see the campus through a different lens.
From the creators of ‘Clue: A Walking Mystery’, another game that premiered on campus last summer, Artpower comes back with a bigger, better, more ambitious storyline for players to experience.
With intricate props, head-scratching puzzles and unforgettable characters, the stakes feel
real while venturing through what others might think is just a regular campus.
The game maker, Kevin Hammonds, said that he wanted to build the puzzles around the existing art installations and architecture .
“I was just so struck by the campus about how cool it was and all these different locations,”
Hammonds said.
Joanna Christian, associate director of marketing and communications at ArtPower, said when walking around campus with Hammonds in the earlier stages of creation, he was solidifying all the different puzzles in his head.
“We knew we wanted to showcase the Stuart Collection,” Christian said.
Hammonds names the Stuart Collection as one of the main inspirations behind the many riddles players will endure during the game.
In every corner of the game’s map, a certain element of the campus’s environment is integrated into the storyline players pick apart and use as clues for the game.
“Things that people walk by every day and don’t think twice about,” Hammonds said. “But
players who see it will always see it in a different way.”
From the Graffiti Art Park, Terry Allen’s “Trees” and Do Huh Suh’s “Fallen Star,” a house hanging on the edge of a building, the campus becomes the heart of the storyline.
“Now everyone that plays the game can walk by there and kind of have a different relationship to that piece of art than anyone else,” Hammonds said.
Amarissa Ailey, a senior at UCSD and student employee at ArtPower, had the chance to be
one of the first to try the game. She was also selected to lead her group as the “chosen one” during the game.
“To see that (the campus) transcribed onto like a game board of sorts was kind of fun,” Ailey said. “Especially with like elements that are unique to our campus” She said the creativity behind the adventure is “straight up art” and is happy ArtPower can bring these one-of-a-kind experiences for students to get to know their university.
Last summer’s “Clue: A Walking Mystery” opened doors to what could be accomplished by designers in love with the campus, said Colleen Kollar Smith, executive director for the campus performance and events office in a press release.
“The arts here don’t just happen in traditional venues; they activate the spaces around us and pull audiences into the storytelling,” Smith said.
She said “Decoding Davinci” will execute just that by morphing the campus into a “living world of mystery” that transports guests into their own storyline.
Featuring live actors that interact with players and making the UCSD environment the forefront, Hammonds said he hopes to see big reactions from players.
“We want to make them feel like they’re in their own movie,” Hammonds said.
When returning to work with ArtPower, Hammonds said it was like “coming back to old friends” and appreciates how helpful they are in pushing the creativity in the right direction.
There has not been any other version of the game announced for other cities, but Hammonds said the UCSD rendition will only be unique to its location, making it his love letter to the campus.
“I just love taking things that people take for granted and turning them into something thrilling,” Hammonds said.
“Decoding DaVinci” will be available Thursdays through Sundays until July 19. The experience accommodates up to seven guests at a time, and each day can host at least 11 teams, starting at 2 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays and 10 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
Tickets start at $40 per person. You can see a full slate of ArtPower’s events and book
tickets for “Decoding DaVinci” at artpower.ucsd.edu.
