On the opening day of the Red Square Book Festival, on June 17, 2021, the team of the igames gaming platform of the Russian New University (RosNOU) and the Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics invited the guests of the festival to a space trip. In the year of the 60th anniversary of the first space flight, in the very center of the capital, books and space seemed closer than ever to each other. The quiz "I have a space suit - I'm ready to travel!" - the name is inspired by a fantastic novel by Robert Heinlein - promised participants real intellectual excitement and fun.
Children and parents (many at first were wary of participating in the experiment under the name "Intellectual Quiz") who decided to try their hand at an intellectual tournament of three parts in a blitz format: only six questions in each game.
The participants received leaflets with QR codes, entered the game platform from their smartphones, and after the presenters said: "Let's go!", - they immediately joined the game.
The game was hosted by Daria Kozlova, coordinator of the igames.team project, and Alfred Vardazaryan, head of educational programs at the Museum of Cosmonautics. They cheerfully commented on the questions. Technical assistants watched the progress of the game and helped those who did not immediately understand how to work with the platform.
The principle of RosNOU games is logic and attention, and then erudition. Children and adults who became participants of the intellectual space odyssey carefully read the questions, tried to think on the correct answer and raced to press the selected option on the phone screens. Sometimes the opinions of children and parents did not coincide, adults tried to defend their version. But the children, especially the little ones, were so sincerely upset that the parents regretted their decision and continued to agree with the kids, because family entertainment should be fun!
And so it turned out! Following the results of a small family council, the team members made a compromise decision. If it was right, there was no limit to joy, if not, the team tried to concentrate its forces for a new breakthrough.
Questions ran across the smartphone screen along with the minutes. What wise decision did designer Sergey Korolev make to keep up with American developers in the space race to create the first satellite? What scientific prize did he never receive? Why did Yuri Gagarin have an orange spacesuit? What abbreviation appeared on the first cosmonaut's helmet at the last moment before the launch? What "cosmic" material is the monument to Gagarin made of on Leninsky Prospekt in Moscow? What living organisms have visited the moon?
In the game on igames.team, it is not erudition that is important, but logic and the ability to manage the thought process. The players tried to find hints, to have time to answer questions, and to do it faster than anyone else (the game platform is very honest and determines the winners with a difference of up to seconds).
It seems that no "space traveler" was disappointed in the game, regardless of whether he/she won or not. Everyone on this day not only felt the excitement of the intellectual battle, but also went home not empty-handed: all the teams received memorable gifts from the Museum of Cosmonautics and RosNOU.
