Educational Game: The Secret of Atlas

For the Bank of Slovenia Museum, we began developing an original and unique multiplayer gamified experience at the end of last year.
The game is designed primarily for primary and secondary school students, teaching them about finance, banking, and money in a fun and playful way — through challenges, teamwork, and exploration.

It is played in teams on tablets, where players must work together to solve all stages of the game.

The Problem the Game Addresses

Financial literacy among young people in Slovenia (and certainly beyond) could be much higher.
However, complex financial systems, processes, and institutions can also be learned in a more accessible and friendly way — through games and interactive challenges.

So we rolled up our sleeves and said:
“Let’s make financial education fun!”

In Collaboration with the Bank of Slovenia Museum
Together with the creative and enthusiastic team from the Bank of Slovenia Museum, we created an engaging educational game called

The Secret of Atlas.

It’s a fun, educational, and competitive treasure hunt about the euro, former Slovenian currencies, gold, inflation, the Eurosystem, and the history and role of the Bank of Slovenia.

The main character of the game is Atlas – the symbolic guardian of the Bank of Slovenia.
The game is played on 1–5 tablets, in teams of up to 5 players, where correct answers lead players closer to discovering the Secret of Atlas, hidden in a mysterious vault.

Main Goals of the Gamification

The project aimed to achieve two key goals:

• Make the game visually and communicatively appealing to the main target group (students).
• Integrate educational content in a playful way, teaching players important facts about finance, money, and banking through fun game mechanics.

Game Mechanics and Technical Features

The Secret of Atlas is a web-based application, integrated on Android tablets provided by museum staff.
It is based on a multi-level quiz system, supported by interesting feedback effects and hidden micro-mechanics that players can unlock in different ways.

Core Game Structure

• The game includes seven stages.
• The first is a tutorial, teaching players about the security features of euro banknotes issued by the European Central Bank.
• Then players face six main challenges, each focusing on a different financial theme:
  • History Challenge: Learn about Slovenia’s first currencies – vrednostni boni and tolars.
  • Stability Challenge: Understand inflation, deflation, hyperinflation, and the role of the Bank of Slovenia.
  • Modern Challenge: Discover everything about the euro – two banknote series, coins, and security features.
  • International Challenge: Explore the Eurosystem, the European Central Bank, and euro coins from other EU countries.
  • Golden Challenge: Learn about gold purity, reserves, and measurement units.
  • Nostalgia Challenge: Discover commemorative coins, collector editions, and medals.
  • Finally, when all teams complete the six (or seven) stages, a final task awaits them — one that requires cooperation between teams to unlock the secret vault.

Game Rules and Scoring

• To successfully complete a stage, teams must answer at least 60% of the questions correctly.
• The system records for each team:
  • Time spent on each challenge
  • Points earned
  • Percentage of correct answers
  • Total game time
  • Total score
• The game master starts each session through an admin panel, sets up the number of teams, distributes tablets, and the game begins.
• The game opens with a fun avatar creation challenge, where each team designs its own banknote.
• Players must equip their note with enough security elements (chosen from custom-designed icons, colors, and emojis) for the “Banking System” to approve it and grant access to the game.

Special Mechanics and Fair Play

To prevent “cheating,” each stage can only be played by one team at a time.
When a team starts a challenge, it locks for others for 90 seconds. After that, it reopens for the next team — ensuring variety and fairness.

Micro-Mechanics and Intrinsic Motivation

• Bonus Games: 3 hidden bonus challenges appearing at specific points.
• Quick Fingers: A mini-game that rewards fast tapping skills.
• Rocket Run: Extra points for completing a challenge with over 60% correct answers in under 3 minutes.
• Ten in a Row: Bonus points for ten consecutive correct answers.

 

Additional Features

• A dedicated admin panel allows museum staff to manage sessions, start new games, and track team performance in real time.
• Each challenge lasts 5 minutes. If a team doesn’t meet the minimum score, they must repeat it.
• Completing a challenge early converts the remaining time into bonus points.
• Teams can also buy hints if they have enough virtual money.
• At the end, the leaderboard displays all scores — but when the final challenge begins, competition turns into collaboration.
• Each team holds one piece of the final answer needed to unlock the golden key — and with it, the Secret of Atlas itself.

The game The Secret of Atlas is available to play at the Bank of Slovenia Museum, offering students and visitors a fun and educational way to explore the world of money, finance, and banking.