I grew up playing games like Neopets and Runescape and remember fondly waking up in the early hours to use the computer before my siblings woke up or Mum needed to use the phone (back in the dial up days). Playing games taught me more than I realised, from trivia to abstract problem-solving and programming. I often thought about what the world would be like if we brought games and quests into real world spaces and turned everyday places into adventures.
That thought led me to study computer science and later science communication at the University of Otago, where I explored how to create resource-efficient games for place-based learning.
During my studies, I built The Amazing Trace to demonstrate how theory can inform practice using the framework I developed for my thesis. Shortly after, the Faculty of Law had their own vision: students exploring legal concepts through Otago's physical campus. When I heard about it, I jumped at the chance to collaborate.
Together, we built Te Rapua Hamu, and they gifted the combined platform its perfect name: Rapua. In te reo Māori, it means to seek, to search, to find. The name captures exactly what these games are about. Rapua has since grown to be able to support more types of games, and I continue to develop it as a passion project and as a basis for future PhD research.
Place-based learning, especially through bespoke games, can be prohibitively expensive and time-consuming to create. This is especially true for educators in smaller schools, museums, or community groups. I want to change that with Rapua, a platform that makes it easy to create and play games in real-world spaces.
This platform isn't just about the technology; it's about the stories you tell, the places you explore, and the connections you make. If Rapua resonates with you, here's how to get involved:
See you out there!
— Nathan