Minneapolis Institute of Art “Riddle Mia This” App

Art museums becomes puzzle rooms with interactive app

The Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA) becomes a giant puzzle room with the free “Riddle Mia This” app. Players work individually or as a team to solve an interactive museum mystery using the app to search for clues in the artworks to expose a secret society. The app creates an augmented reality puzzle room and helps guide players through the museum. Instead of building new rooms or hiding physical clues requiring players to move paintings, the app uses virtual reality technology to hide clues in plain sight. The game is geared toward ages 12 and above and takes about an hour to complete. The app is expected to draw new audiences and help visitors discover new items in the collection. “Riddle Mia This” is a free download for an iPhone or Android device. The open-source app can be shared easily with other museums.

Phase of Development

• The Riddle Mia This app is available for download in the Apple App Store. Developers for other museums can request a copy of the code as a starting point for their own development efforts.

Features and Benefits

• Helps Minneapolis Institute of Art visitors explore the museum collection
• Draws new audiences
• Augmented reality puzzle room
• Players work individually or as a team to solve an interactive museum mystery
• App helps players search for clues in the artworks
• Free iPhone or Android download
• Open-source app can also be shared easily with other museums, some programming required.

Applications

• Education; education technology
• Museums, schools, etc.
• Software as a Service
• Mobile app
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