We are thrilled to announce that the ESCAPERS project has officially reached its conclusion. After two years of collaborative work across Europe, all project deliverables are now complete and freely available for educators, youth workers, and communities worldwide.
A Journey of Intergenerational Connection
ESCAPERS set out with an ambitious goal: to bridge the generational gap through the power of play. By transforming the authentic memories of elderly participants into interactive escape games, we created something more than educational resources—we built bridges between generations.
The journey began in memory workshops across Greece, Italy, Spain, and Ireland, where seniors shared their life stories. These precious narratives—about work, family, community, and resilience—became the foundation for five unique escape room experiences.
The Five ESCAPERS Games
Each game was crafted to facilitate meaningful interaction between young and old players:
- Operation Free Press - Set in 1983 under an authoritarian regime, players join the resistance to uncover hidden information and fight for press freedom
- The Disappearance - Private investigators must track down famous chef Pablo Rabal, who vanished in Valencia just days before a prestigious pan-European cooking competition
- Trapped in Virtual Reality - Volunteers from a scientific experiment find themselves trapped in a digital realm, forced to work together across cultural differences to escape
- The Locked Garden - A community garden’s future is threatened after a hacker steals critical sustainability documents; workers must uncover the culprit and restore community trust
- The Missing Girl - Teenagers investigate the disappearance of a quiet orphan girl, uncovering her hidden struggles while confronting stereotypes and discrimination
All games include a trailer, a facilitator’s guide, printable materials, and a digital companion app—available in English, Greek, Spanish, and Italian.
Complete Project Deliverables
With the project’s completion, three major deliverables are now available:
1. ESCAPERS Games
All five games with their full resource packages, ready to be played in schools, community centers, care homes, or family gatherings.
2. Methodological Guide
A comprehensive handbook explaining the ESCAPERS methodology—from memory collection techniques to game facilitation best practices. Essential reading for anyone wanting to replicate or adapt our approach.
3. ESCAPERS LABS Guide
Detailed documentation from our training activities, including the complete facilitator training curriculum and practical implementation guides.
Freely Available
All ESCAPERS deliverables are available for free download. Educators, organizations, and individuals can access these materials and use them in their educational contexts.
Access all deliverables on the ESCAPERS project page
Thank You to Our Partners
This achievement would not have been possible without our incredible consortium:
- Challedu (Greece) - Project Coordinator
- EduVita (Italy)
- Gaiety School of Acting (Ireland)
- AFAV (Spain)
- Odd Statue Social (Greece) - Game Development Lead
And most importantly, thank you to all the elderly participants who trusted us with their memories, and to the countless young people who helped test and refine these games.
What’s Next?
While the funded project period has ended, the ESCAPERS legacy continues. We encourage you to:
- Download and play the games with your community
- Share your experiences with us on social media
- Adapt the methodology for your own intergenerational projects
- Spread the word about these free resources
The best way to honor the stories that inspired these games is to play them, share them, and create new memories together.
Visit the ESCAPERS project page for complete access to all deliverables and project information.