Skills4AI

Creating an escape game

Educational escape games make learning active, collaborative and motivating. AI helps teachers save time by generating scenarios, adapting difficulty and creating resources. With themed puzzles and narrative elements, students develop knowledge, creativity and problem‑solving skills. Precise prompts improve results, and teachers can refine materials to build a fully engaging experience.
  • 07/11/2025
  • GRETA Auvergne

In this example, the target audience is a Year 9 class.

At this age, they are not necessarily aware of the importance of pollinating insects. The aim is therefore to make them aware of the dangers of pesticides for humanity, in a fun way.

Today, we see that students sometimes struggle to stay motivated and focused. To remedy this, we can use fun activities such as escape games, which make learning more lively. The problem is that preparing them often requires a lot of time and energy on the part of teachers. AI can facilitate this work by helping to devise and construct scenarios, invent puzzles and create materials. Thanks to this combination of games and AI, pupils can be offered activities that are more motivating and tailored to their needs.

The use of AI in this context makes the subject being studied more concrete and appealing. Getting pupils to play games promotes understanding and memorisation.

For teachers, the time saved is truly significant.

Generative AI quickly proposes scenarios and puzzles and provides ideas that can be modified as desired until the teacher is satisfied, who might not have had as much imagination.

In addition, each game can be easily adapted for different audiences.

A PC connected to the Internet.

It is important to be aware of the limitations of generative AI. Although it is improving steadily, it is not yet capable of delivering turnkey results.

Indeed, having tested the complete generation of the escape game (cards with photos in particular) in spring 2025 and then in autumn 2025, the AI was unable to generate all the elements at once, so it cannot replace the teacher. The main problem remains the integration of photos into the puzzles. The AI is unable to select all the appropriate photos on its own and ends up not providing a result. It keeps us waiting for hours without offering an acceptable result.

You therefore need to build your game gradually, puzzle by puzzle, using standard office software.

Furthermore, once again, teachers need to be vigilant when it comes to AI suggestions. Here is a list of insects suggested by ChatGPT. The green bug looks much more like a fly… Similarly, the insect “frenche” (at the end of this table) does not exist…

In addition, here is ChatGPT’s response to the issue of file generation as a whole, after several hours of waiting. The AI itself advises us to do the work in blocks:

You’re right. 😅 — Given the scope of the project (royalty-free images + 20 double-sided cards + 5 puzzles with layout + PDF and DOCX versions + ZIP compilation), it is much more difficult to complete in one go than I had estimated.

👉 Technically, I can’t really ‘work in the background’ when you’re not connected. Each generation (images, documents, zip files) must be launched in the conversation.

If you want to make real progress, the safest method is for me to generate block by block (e.g. insect cards → puzzle → flashcards → certificates), then at the end we put everything together in the ZIP file. That way you won’t have to wait around for nothing.

Would you like me to proceed step by step so that you can see the project progressing and already have files that you can use quickly?

Objectives

Using an escape game as a teaching aid makes learning more lively and much more motivating. By immersing themselves in this game, students will not have a static posture as in theoretical lessons, but will learn new concepts in a fun way.

Playing as a team also helps develop other skills such as cooperation, communication, problem solving and time management.

For teachers, the significant objective is to offer an innovative and fun activity, but above all one that saves considerable time thanks to AI, which:

  • provides ideas for scenarios and puzzles,
  • adapts the game to suit different classes,
  • generates resources (texts and other images).

Example of implementation

There are several possible approaches to creating all or part of an educational escape game, depending on the time the teacher can devote to its creation and their needs.

To create an escape game, several steps are necessary:

  • define the topic (in this case, the importance of insects and the problem of pesticides),
  • set educational objectives,
  • develop a narrative framework,
  • develop a logical sequence of events,
  • choose how to present it (humorous tone, serious tone, etc.),
  • create the puzzles,
  • prepare the puzzles (depending on the materials available: computer, paper, scissors, etc.).

Let us assume that we want an escape game generated entirely by the tool, so let us give the AI the following prompt:

“I am a secondary school teacher and would like to create an educational escape game lasting an hour and a half, with five puzzles. I need to be able to carry out this activity using common materials. The theme of this game is the importance of pollinating insects and their decline due to pollution, the use of weedkillers and the disappearance of hedges. I want the main character to be a bee, so find a funny name for it.”

Below you will find the AI’s response as well as details of one (and only one) puzzle.

We note that the result is consistent with the request. If we wish, we can modify all or part of the AI’s proposal. The time savings are considerable…

The only downside is that, even with a more comprehensive prompt, we were unable to generate all the necessary files (puzzles, maps with photos, decoding grids, etc.) in a single request. It is therefore advisable to proceed section by section and create the final document yourself (or with the help of AI such as Copilot if you are not comfortable with office tools).

Here comes the return of ChatGPT

Here is a ready-to-use, educational escape game lasting 1½ hours, with 5 puzzles on the theme of pollinating insects and the dangers they face. It is designed to be played in class using simple materials.

🎯 Educational objectives

  • Understanding the essential role of pollinating insects (bees, butterflies, etc.).

  • Identify the causes of their decline: pollution, use of weedkillers, disappearance of hedgerows.

  • Raise awareness of biodiversity and sustainable agricultural practices.

🐝 Name of the main character

Bzzzilda, the adventurous and mischievous bee who has lost track of her pollinator friends!

🧩 General scenario

Bzzzilda returns from migration and discovers that her pollinator friends have disappeared. Through five puzzles, pupils must figure out why and find solutions to bring her friends back. Their mission: save pollination in 90 minutes!

⏱️ Organisation

  • Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes (10-minute introduction + 5 x 15-minute puzzles + 5-minute conclusion)

  • Groups: 4 to 5 pupils

  • Common equipment: paper, felt-tip pens/pencils, scissors, envelopes, plastic bottles, string, tape, internet access (optional), printed images.

🧠 The 5 riddles

🔎 Enigma 1 – The disappearance of pollinators

Objective: Identify pollinating insects and understand their role.

Procedure:
The pupils are given mixed images of insects (pollinators vs pests). They must sort out the pollinators. Once they have sorted them correctly, they are given a coded sentence (e.g. Caesar cipher, reversed letters):

« Without us, there would be no fruit or vegetables ! »

Equipment: images of insects, sorting sheet, coded card.

🌿 Puzzle 2 – The hedge wall

Objective: Understanding the role of hedges as shelters for insects.

Procedure:
Pupils are given a picture of a rural landscape with and without hedges. They must match each element of the landscape with its impact on biodiversity. A jigsaw puzzle then reveals a keyword: ‘REFUGE’.

Equipment: Cut-out puzzle (picture + back with letters), 2 pictures to compare.

☠️ Puzzle 3 – The invisible poison

Objective: Identify the effects of herbicides/pesticides.

Procedure :
A “honey recipe” is provided, but it is full of toxic products (glyphosate, etc.). Students must cross out the dangerous items by reading a (fictitious) safety information sheet. Each toxic ingredient corresponds to a number to open a paper (or digital) padlock: 4-2-1-5.

Equipment : fake recipe, product sheet, paper padlock to cut out or digital padlock via QR code.

💨 Enigma 4 – Air pollution, pollution of life

Objective: Understanding the link between air pollution and insects.

Procedure:
A game of charades is used to find words such as “CO2”, “car”, “smoke” and “disappearance”. The pupils then have to put these words in the right order to form a sentence:

« Pollution disorients bees. »

Equipment: charades cards, envelopes with words.

🧭 Puzzle 5 – The Great Pollination Adventure

Objective: Find Bzzzilda’s way back to a healthy habitat.

Procedure:
Students must solve a small maze or obstacle course (on paper or in class with objects). Each correct choice depends on what they have learned previously (e.g., choosing a field with hedges, avoiding one with pesticides).

Equipment: printed maze or tape on the floor + images to symbolise the choices.

🎉 Conclusion

When all five puzzles have been solved, the pupils discover a final message:

« Thanks to you, Bzzzilda has found her friends again. Together, you have saved pollination ! »

They can receive a “Pollinator Guardian” certificate (to print).

💡 Bonus: Possible extras

  • Incorporate a hidden QR code to reveal a 1-minute video about bees.
  • Leave a fake diary belonging to Bzzzilda for players to discover (with mistakes to correct).
  • Organise a mini exhibition after the escape game to encourage further reflection.

Would you like me to prepare all the necessary printable files (images, puzzles, cards, certificates, etc.) for you?

Let us examine the first riddle in detail:

Here is a very detailed version of Enigma 1 – The Disappearance of Pollinators, adapted for easy implementation in the classroom with common materials.

🧩 Enigma 1 – The disappearance of pollinators

🎯 Educational objectives

  • Identify the main pollinating insects.
  • Understand their fundamental role in the reproduction of flowering plants.
  • Develop observation, classification and decoding skills.

🐝 Narration – Providing context for pupils

« Bzzzilda has just returned to her hive after a long flight… but disaster strikes: all her pollinator friends have disappeared! Only a few clues remain… To help her find them, you must identify which insects are real pollinators and decipher the message they left behind. »

🛠️ Required equipment

  • 20 images of insects printed on cardboard or stiff paper (playing card size):
    10 pollinators: bee, bumblebee, butterfly, hoverfly, beetle, solitary wasp, mason bee, hairy fly, cockchafer, moth
    10 non-pollinators: mosquito, horsefly, cockroach, green stink bug, housefly, tick, Asian hornet, flea, caterpillar, red ant
  • A double-sided sorting sheet: 2 columns (“pollinator” / “non-pollinator”).
  • On the back of the 10 pollinator images is a letter (one per card) that forms a coded message.
  • A Caesar cipher grid (shift of 1 to 3 letters) or mirror message to print.

👣 Step-by-step process

Step 1 – Observation and sorting (10 to 15 minutes)

  • The pupils look at the 20 cards depicting various insects.
  • In groups, they must sort them into the correct column on the sorting sheet.
  • Encourage discussion: “Why is this a pollinator?”, “How do we know if the insect carries pollen?”
  • The teacher checks the answers before moving on to step 2.

Step 2 – Collecting letters (5 mins)

  • If the sorting is correct, the pupils turn over the 10 pollinator cards to reveal the letters on the back.

    • Example:
      Bee → S
      Bumblebee → A
      Butterfly → N
      Hoverfly → S
      Mason bee → N
      Beetle → O
      Solitary wasp → U
      Hairy fly → S
      Moth → F
      Cockchafer → L

  • The letters are jumbled up. The pupils must rearrange them to form a message.

Step 3 – Deciphering the message (5 to 10 minutes)

  • The letters may be in random order or encoded according to:

    • Caesar cipher (e.g. each letter has been shifted one place: A → B, B → C, etc.)

    • or mirror code (letters reversed, readable in a mirror or horizontally).

  • The final message is:

    « WITHOUT US, NO FRUIT OR VEGETABLES »

🧠 Skills utilised

  • Close observation (physical characteristics of insects)
  • Critical thinking and reasoning (to justify sorting)
  • Reading and decoding
  • Collaborative work

📝 Alternative if printing is not possible

  • Project the 20 images onto the board (or draw them schematically).
  • The pupils copy the names onto a sheet of paper and sort them in their notebooks.
  • Use a board or collective sheet to write down the letters once the correct insects have been found.

🎁 Final message to be read aloud

« Well done! You’ve found Bzzzilda’s true friends! Without them, there would be no apples, no tomatoes, no strawberries… We absolutely must protect them ! »

Would you like me to prepare for you:

  • Printable insect cards (with letters on the back)
  • The sorting grid
  • The Caesar or mirror code model?

The other puzzles are not shown here, but their structures are the same as this one.

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