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Welcome aboard! Learn the ropes and sail the seas!

The New Bedford Whaling Museum set out to engage the next generation of museumgoers with stories of sailors, whalers, and the industry that connected the globe. We collaborated to produce Voyage Around the World – a multiplayer gallery game that charges visitors with managing the crew aboard a 19th Century whaleship. 

Visitors interacting with the game
A group of children playing with the interactive.

Up to four players collaborate in this touchtable game, working together to complete 15 sailing challenges. Players delve into the crews’ backstories and pastimes as they learn how to best assign them to the tasks on board. Players must share the crew, sparking cooperation, competition, and discussion around the table. 

A close up of a visitor playing the game

A video showcasing the locations that can be visited.

An international crew from all corners of the map highlights the global nature of the Yankee Whaling industry. Whether sailing for fortune, freedom, or family back home, the crew have unique motivations for joining the voyage. Each character possesses a skill that aids in certain tasks, such as spotting whales or hauling heavy equipment. 

A group of people playing the game on a large touch screen.

Embarking on this voyage takes players through vast open oceans and challenging hazards, like icy waters and shallow straits. By exploring each port of call, players learn about the traded goods unique to each region and where featured artifacts can be viewed in the museum. This reward system motivates visitors to explore the galleries after their game, a key goal for the interpretive team.

Voyage Around the World was developed in Unity and installed on a 65-inch Ideum Pro 4K touchtable. Visitors can play in English, Spanish, or Portuguese.  This project was featured at MuseWeb 2023 in a pre-conference workshop titled Cooperative Multiplayer Games for the Museum Space.

Aerial view of visitors playing the game

Buzz

I enjoyed seeing the characters interact with the tasks and the other crew mates a lot... as well as at the end when all the characters were dancing!

Callan Powel, Museum Visitor