Frequency 1550 is a mobile city game that uses GPS and UMTS technology to let pupils of the secondary schools actively learn about history instead of passively absorb knowledge. The aim of Frequency 1550 is to bring the middle ages alive for pupils, within their history lessons.
The project
The project was started as a researchproject by Waag Society, 7scenes, KPN, IVLOS (University of Utrecht) and ILO (University of Amsterdam). After the first pilot in 2005 turned out to be a great succes, it was decided to work on the project again in 2006/2007 to improve the technique, interaction and educational concept. The upgraded game was then played in 2007 with 10 primary schools. Groups of pupils walked around in Amsterdam, navigating with their mobile phone, solving questions about the past with state of the art technology. Their objective was to score as many points as possible by performing location-based assignments, conquer city zones and gaining the ‘schouts’ trust. But there was also location-based gameplay: virtual bombs that could knock out teams temporarily, invisibility cloaks and virtual confrontations.
The University of Amsterdam and University of Utrecht researched at the same time the effects of gaming on learning. It turned out that kids participating in the mobile game had remembered the history lessons better than pupils who had learned the curriculum in a traditional way. The publication can be downloaded here.
In 2008, this mobile history game received a SpinAward in the category best gaming concept.
Since the end of 2009, Frequency 1550 is available to schools as part of the Mobile Learning Game Kit developed by 7scenes and the Creative Learning Lab of Waag Society.