13:35 - 14:30
Submission 80
Promoting Environmental Awareness Through Game-Based Learning: Save the Albatross
Poster-36
Presented by: Filomena Anna Digilio
Filomena Anna Digilio 1, 2, Alessandra Rocco 3, Francesca Bretzel 4
1 Institute of Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems (IRET)_Naples, National Research Council (CNR), Italy
2 National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), Palermo, Italy
3 National Institute of Optics_Naples, National Research Council (CNR), Italy
4 Institute of Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems (IRET)_Pisa, National Research Council (CNR), Italy

Playing with biodiversity is an effective way to learn how to protect the environment. As part

of the activities of Spoke 7 of the National Biodiversity Future Centre (NBFC), IRET_Naples

has developed an escape game ideal for schools and families to foster nature education.

Save the Albatross is an escape game that offers an adventure focused on marine plastic

pollution and responsible consumption. It requires no prior knowledge and promotes teamwork

and lateral thinking. It is suitable for primary and secondary schools.

It has been designed to offer a gripping adventure filled with scientific riddles. The game tests

the ability to work together and think outside the box to solve problems. The plot revolves

around a team of CNR scientists organizing an expedition aboard the CNR oceanographic

vessel 'Gaia Blu' to study albatrosses—pelagic birds living in the oceans whose survival is

threatened by marine plastics. To join the expedition, participants must pass a group selection

process, which is the core of the game. It is ideal for 20/25 players, who are divided into 5

groups. Each of the five groups receives a backpack containing the materials needed to solve

the puzzles in time to join the active scientific team.

It was presented in Rome in February 2026 during the 'Un Solo Mare' festival, where it was

played by school classes and received positive feedback from teachers and students for its

effectiveness in connecting scientific research to the school environment.