Appleton Parks Launches 6-Month App Scavenger Hunt as 90-Plus Teams Complete 1,200 Missions
Updated
Updated · WBAY · May 21
Appleton Parks Launches 6-Month App Scavenger Hunt as 90-Plus Teams Complete 1,200 Missions
1 articles · Updated · WBAY · May 21
More than 90 teams and individuals have joined Appleton Parks and Recreation’s mobile scavenger hunt since its May 1 launch, completing over 1,200 missions across the city.
The free app-based program runs through the end of October and turns city education into self-paced challenges, adapting lessons from Appleton’s 11-week Resident Leadership Academy.
Twelve city departments helped build missions that send participants to research local features and visit sites, including sidewalk poetry, the city-owned golf course and a bus ride with a free transit ticket.
Participants earn points toward prize drawings, while those who finish every mission receive certificates as “ultimate Appleton champions”; prizes include gift cards, golf, pool passes and ice cream with the mayor.
The hunt is also expanding into classrooms through a partnership with the Appleton Area School District, letting students start missions at school and finish them with their families.
Does turning civic education into a game risk devaluing real participation for a digital prize?
As cities track users for gamified learning, where is the line between engagement and surveillance?