World's First Cultural Institution On Roblox
The Keeper of Paintings and the Palette of Perception was the first immersive adventure for children and family visitors to the world-famous National Gallery in London's Trafalgar Square. During development of this AHRC-funded project, an important element was how we might engage remote audiences - young people who were unlikely to visit the Gallery for any one of dozens of reasons including accessibility, economic disadvantages, geography or even basic appeal.
The solution was Keeper Council, a Roblox game in which players anywhere in the country or the world could meet the Keeper of Paintings and all the other Keepers, tackle obstacle courses, complete quests and build their own mini gallery in which they could hang some of the masterpieces from the National Gallery's iconic collection.
Collaborative Creativity
Keeper Council emerged from the "Children's Advisory Group" - the brilliant research panel of 7-11 year olds recruited to co-create The Keeper of Paintings. Much of the project was developed during COVID lockdown, so remote forms of collaboration had to be found. We alighted on the idea of using Roblox, the immensely popular game platform for children, as a way of transforming potentially dull video calls into fun, energetic, creative workshops, all taking place in a virtual space they already knew and loved.
Co-creating in Roblox went well. In fact it went so well, that we quickly decided Roblox would be the way we would create a remote experience to complement the on-site adventure at the Gallery.
A World of Keepers
The real question was what the Roblox experience would be about? The answer came from the Keeper of Birds, friend and colleague of the Keeper of Paintings who looked after the collection of birds at the Natural History Museum in Shanghai. If there is a Keeper of Paintings and Keeper of Birds, there must also be dozens or hundreds of other Keepers inhabiting their shared liminal world. The Roblox game would invite young players to visit this pantheon of Keepers and earn their right to become a High Keeper themselves, perhaps even gaining the reward of their own ultra-rare golden cloak!
Tycoon & Obby
Two of the most popular and engaging types of Roblox game are 'Tycoons', where players complete tasks to build something piece by piece, and 'Obbys' which is short for obstacle course. Keeper Council combined both, tasking players with exploring the world and finding all the different Keepers, many of whom could only be reached by completing Obbys which gradually increased in difficulty. By completing the tasks set by the Keepers, players unlocked rewards in the form of masterpieces from the National Gallery's collection, which they could hang in their own mini galleries.
Play to Learn
Keeper Council is a wonderful demonstration of the 'play to learn' principle that drives our work, engaging children to explore, discover and play in this fanastical virtual world, whilst simultaneously forging a connection to The National Gallery, its collection, and the wider world of arts and culture.
So what are you waiting for? Search 'Keeper Council' in Roblox and go earn your golden cloak today!