The orientation activity new students actually remember.
The Great Game turns your campus into a team scavenger hunt and escape game played on phones. New students learn where everything is, make friends on their team and race up a live leaderboard. The game runs itself!
“It really helps them actually make real friends during Orientation.”
— Margaret C., Concordia University
Why it's perfect for orientation
Orientation has three jobs: help students find their way, help them find their people, and do it without exhausting your staff.
Students learn their way around
Every stop is a real place they will need: the library, dining hall, advising and the offices they would otherwise never find.
“The game took them all around campus and into offices that they will need in the fall.” Wentworth University
Students make real friends
Teams have to work together on ciphers, riddles and photo challenges, which gets new students talking in a way an icebreaker never does.
“It really helps them actually make real friends during Orientation.” Concordia University
No staffing required
Answers are checked in the app, so you don’t need a volunteer at each stop. Your team can step away and catch their breath.
“We can use the app instead of needing staff to man events in each location.” Montana Tech
Big classes, all at once
Hundreds of teams can play at the same time, each sent on its own route.
“We were able to have 600 people using the scavenger hunt at once.” Aurora University
Fits any schedule
Run it as one big kickoff, or open it for a window so students play between sessions.
“Our students do well with events that don’t have a set time.” Eastern University
Memories you can use
Photo stops give students something to share and give you real photos for next year’s orientation.
“It allows us to have memories to showcase to the groups next summer!” Radford University
How we make your orientation special
Up to 30 different routes on campus
The app automatically puts teams on different routes, so you never get 40 students crowding one statue.
Your campus, your traditions
We research your school and customize the adventure to highlight what makes your school special! Whether you have a ghost elephant that haunts campus, a tree that grew from an acorn taken to outer space, or a campus curse that fails any student who steps on the school seal, we’ll find out about it and use it to make your students’ welcome to campus magical.
All you do is print flyers
We send ready-to-print flyers. Students scan the code, download the app and join their team.
Real puzzles, not a checklist
We make real, FUN puzzles that involve teamwork. Players will have to solve ciphers, break morse code, find messages in augmented reality and more. But don’t worry, every puzzle has multiple hints so no team ever gets stuck!
A live leaderboard
You can turn it into a competition with prizes or tell students to play at their own pace.
Better than a paper scavenger hunt
Other scavenger hunt apps hand you a blank template. We do everything for you, and we've thought of every tiny detail.
| Compare | Paper scavenger hunt | Other scavenger hunt apps | The Great Game |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who writes the clues | You | You | We do, researched for your campus |
| Staff prep time | Days | Hours to days | A 3-minute form and a short call |
| Checking answers | A volunteer at each stop | Staff review submissions | Automatic, in the app |
| Teams bunching up | Everyone follows one list | Usually one list | Up to 30 routes, assigned automatically |
| Puzzles | Questions on paper | Photo and text tasks | Ciphers, AR, morse, riddles, photo stops and other completely unique puzzles |
| Indoor stops | Yes | Varies | Yes, with QR codes |
| Live leaderboard | Tallied at the end | Varies | Yes |
The little things we handle so you don't have to
- We research your campus and write every clue, story and fact
- You can test the game first and we make your edits before the day
- Teams can be created for you ahead of time
- Hints at every step, so no team ever gets stuck
- Photo stops that give you pictures for next year
- Only one phone per team needs the app
Orientation questions
- Can we run it across several orientation sessions?
- Yes. Each session plays as its own game with its own teams and leaderboard, so students in your June session and your August session both get a fresh competition.
- Does it work indoors?
- Yes. Most stops use the GPS in players’ phones, and for indoor locations you place a QR code that teams scan to arrive, so you can include the library, the student center or a residence hall lobby.
- We have a lot of older student volunteers. What do they do?
- Have them play first. Orientation leaders and returning students love it as their own bonding activity before the new students arrive, and then they know the game inside out when they’re helping on the day.
- How many students can play at once?
- Hundreds at a time. Aurora University had 600 people playing at once, and our app places different teams on different routes automatically so no stop gets crowded.
- How big is each team?
- Teams can be 1 to 8 players. If your orientation groups are bigger (say 20 students), we suggest splitting each group into a few teams.
- How long does it take?
- Typically between 45 and 90 minutes. We set the number of stops and the walking distance to fit the time you have.
- How far ahead do we need to book?
- Some partners book a year in advance; others have had us build their game in 24 hours. Hop on a call and we’ll fit your dates.
- What do students need?
- Only one device per team, though most students usually download our app and join the adventure themselves. They just scan the code on your flyer, download the free app and join their team.
What orientation teams say
36 reviews from the administrators who ran The Great Game at their orientation, in their own words.
“Students LOVE the game - it really helps them actually make real friends during Orientation. Students continue to have love/hate relationships with the morse code and word game puzzles, but that’s when the friendships are made!”
“This program was a huge success for our new student orientation! Our students loved that the game took them all around campus and into offices that they will need in the fall. Our students had a great time and really enjoyed playing this game.”
“The tasks were fun and unique. It was exciting to see students running across campus yelling “WE’RE GONNA WIN!” They were engaged and brought life back to campus again!”
“The ease of downloading the app and customer facing process was very simple and easy to understand. We were able to have 600 people using the scavenger hunt at once which created a great atmosphere on campus.”
“The game was SUPER well received by our students. WAY better than I actually expected. I heard from many of our orientation leaders that they also enjoyed it and think it should be back for next year!”
“We loved the required collaboration and the critical thinking (one of our learning goals) that was required. It was also a fun way for our new students to get to know campus, while our returning students discovered places that they had previously overlooked.”
“It was so well liked by my entire 4/C (new students) they want to try again with the entire school (1,000).”
“The students loved the experience and ability to explore campus on their own. Staff also enjoyed the opportunity to have students on their own and allowed them to decompress.”
“Students had a blast. The app worked well, even with a lot of students playing at once. Customer service was great and Alex was tremendously helpful throughout the process.”
“Our students had a great time using the app to learn about campus. The fact we can use the app instead of needing staff to man events in each location is super helpful.”
“Our students had a blast participating in the Great Game during Orientation. The riddles and games were fun and made discovering campus a fun exploration!”
“The map assistance was great for my new faculty and staff who are unfamiliar with the campus. On whole, it was a very fun, enjoyable, community building activity which was exactly what I was looking for during an intense few days of orientation.”
“We were worried about a large number of attendees (~300+ students) playing the game at once, but everything worked great! No major glitches, and students had fun!”
“Great way for new students to learn the campus. Students had fun in team setting, getting to know other students as well as departments/offices on campus.”
“I love how the game requires you to snap a photo at some of the marked locations! It allows us to have memories to showcase to the groups next summer! I truly feel that the students who participated were actively engaged throughout the entirety of the hunt!”
“The facilitation of the game went really well. The students enjoyed participating in the event and the clues were great for incoming freshmen getting to know Towson.”
“The game was enjoyed by many new students who formed big groups & really committed to completing the game! It was a great way for us to introduce them to campus & give them more info about our university.”
“I love that it’s a great turnkey event from year to year with a great storyline that is customizable. Our students do well with events that don’t have a set time or they can choose to do it within a larger timeframe between their busy schedules.”
“Highly engaging and exciting. Provided an innovative way for students to learn the campus and school traditions while simultaneously building community.”
“Less work for us to have to set up the game, it saved us dozens of hours of company time! The students had a great time, and the game was well timed and executed.”
“The game created a lot of buzz among the freshman class. They were super excited and competitive! They took pride in finding the answers and locations and enjoyed being outside.”
“Phone app was great! Literally gave the students exactly what they needed to know! Mini games were full of great information about the college and applicable for the new students on campus!”
“I thought the game was well written and fun. The team really took into consideration our campus spaces/fun little quirks and included them in the dialogue for the game.”
“New students enjoyed exploring campus together, and laughed at some of the TCNJ inside jokes. There was a nice sense of competition between the teams who participated.”
“All of the students seemed to enjoy the app and had a great time with the scavenger hunt! I always love that I don’t have to stay for the whole thing and that the system is simple enough that students can handle it.”
“This is just always such a great way for students to learn the campus and the changes you made really helped this year too!”
“The clues were great for our campus. The bear mascot was a recent addition to our campus so it was perfect that the game centered around him. The sign-up process was super quick and easy too!”
“Students enjoy the game and the journey it takes them on. They are always excited to participate and get to know the campus better.”
“It was easy to use, accurate, relevant, and fun. Our students were very excited to play. Honestly, they were much more excited about it than I thought they would be. It was a hit!”
“I think it was a great way for students to get to know the campus better. It was more interactive than just going on a tour.”
“Clues and games worked as they should. Allowed our incoming freshmen to get a fun view of our campus and buildings.”
“Everyone looks forward to this game on campus. It is super easy, interactive, and fun. Everything is user friendly and straightforward.”
“EVERYTHING! Students really seem to enjoy the game and the chance to get out and explore campus.”
“This took such a load off me to provide the students with an activity that got them up and moving. The app worked and the students all reported having a great time.”
“Students were engaged with The Great Game and were able to learn about campus.”
“The students who participated enjoyed themselves and the puzzles provided. It was just the right length of time. The difficulty level was just right.”
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