# A brief history
Rapua draws inspiration and code from a number of projects I have developed over the years. Here is a brief history of the platform.
# Te Rapu Hamu (2024)
Created for the Faculty of Law at the University of Otago, this platform helped 240 second-year law students learn about New Zealand law, and its relationship with tikanga Māori (Māori customs), Māori land, and the Treaty of Waitangi.
Te Rapu Hamu is a location-based game that used a web-based platform to guide students through a series of locations on campus. At each location, students are required to watch a short (1 minute) video produced by a different faculty member. After watching the video, students are asked to complete activities such as quizzes, reflections, photo and video challenges. These activities are designed to help students understand the content but more importantly, form links between the content, the physical location, the law, and tikanga Māori.
Rapua as it exists today is a direct descendent of this project and is where it gets its name. Version 2.0 of Rapua was almost a complete rewrite of Te Rapu Hamu, with a focus on making the platform more user-friendly so that anyone could create a game.
# The Amazing Trace (2022)
Developed as part of my Master of Science Communication thesis at the University of Otago, this project explored resource-efficient games for spatially-located learning.
The Amazing Trace was a first-year student orientation game that used a web-based platform to guide students through a series of locations on campus. Students weren’t told where to go next, but instead had to solve problems that students often face in their first year of university. For example, students had to find the location of the student health centre, the library, and the student association. Points were awarded for each location found, and to the first three teams to each location.
The points system and navigation features in Rapua are based on this project. Recommendations from the thesis will soon feature in Rapua, including events and new location types.
# GeoTrace (2021)
A location-based game developed for the UNESCO Waitaki Whitestone Geopark, this project explored how games could be used to engage visitors with the geology of the region.
GeoTrace is currently used across Oamaru and the wider Waitaki district. Visitors can scan a QR code at each location to learn about the geology of the area through a location-specific “Audio Gem”. After finding one location, visitors are shown where other locations are, encouraging them to explore the area.
The system also manages QR codes for print media, such as brochures and posters, and has a built-in anonymised analytics system to track visitor numbers and engagement.
The content management system in Rapua was inspired by this project.