BarZ Adventures and the International Spy Museum launch the new experience
Imagine embarking on a high-stakes mission to uncover and foil a major terrorist attack planned for Washington, DC. As a newly recruited agent for the Special Security Division (SSD) you must try to do exactly that by locating hidden clues, cracking codes, and piecing it all together to find a secret password just in the nick of time.
Are you a character in Hollywood’s latest spy thriller? Not quite.
BarZ Adventures Inc. is pleased to announce the launch of Spy in the City™, a new GPS-based interactive experience at the International Spy Museum in Washington D.C. Designed for individuals or small groups, Spy in the City transforms the nation’s capital city into a virtual game board, with the players themselves as game pieces. Participants embark on a series of exciting self-guided outdoor missions using espionage tradecraft and intelligence collection activities. Equipped with a GPS RangerÒ handheld computer device loaded with the new Ranger Quest™ game technology, participants follow video clues from SSD headquarters solving Flash-based games to earn points as they work their way towards mission completion. As players approach pre-determined GPS waypoints around the Capitol and other landmarks and attractions such as the National Archives, Ford’s Theatre, and the Newseum, the GPS Ranger will automatically download clues, information, (and possibly misinformation!) delivered by a wide range of media. This includes messages by filmed characters—from agents to sources to moles—and documents, codes, audio intercepts, and photos for analysis. This adventure style mission offers participants the opportunity to test their spy skills as they explore DC’s neighborhoods.
The Spy in the City mission and the technology used to play the game were both designed by BarZ Adventures. BarZ Adventures created the handheld computer device, the GPS Ranger, to provide interactive location-based experiences for visitors to parks, zoos, historic cities and other tourist attractions. The GPS Ranger can be used for Ranger Quest gaming adventures, such as Spy in the City, as well as fun and educational video tours delivered through the power of GPS.
“We are excited about our first Ranger Quest launch at the world renowned International Spy Museum. SPY is an award winning museum recognized for offering innovative guest experiences and we are thrilled to help them extend the experience beyond their doors with an outdoor virtual spy mission, ” said Wm. Lee Little, founder and CEO of BarZ Adventures Inc.
The International Spy Museum is committed to engaging guests and enhancing their experience, particularly through interactive activities that push the boundaries of available technology. The Museum’s permanent exhibit offers state-of-the-art audiovisual effects, film, and hands-on components, making the tradecraft of espionage real while showcasing the ingenuity and imagination of real-life spies and spymasters. With Spy in the City, the Museum takes this dedication to immersive experience outside the Museum’s walls into the streets of our nation’s magnificent capital city.
Spy in the City was crafted in collaboration with former intelligence officers. It delivers unique missions based on real espionage cases. The initial Spy in the City adventure lasts approximately one to one and a half hours in length, with additional missions coming soon. Game play is recommended for ages 12+ and the experience costs $14 per person. Spy in the City will be available starting June 15, 2009 only at the International Spy Museum.
About the International Spy Museum
The International Spy Museum is located at 800 F Street, NW in Washington, DC’s historic Penn Quarter, within four blocks of the National Mall, directly across the street from the National Portrait Gallery, and within one block of FBI headquarters and Ford’s Theatre. The Museum is conveniently located near the Gallery Place/Chinatown Metrorail station serviced by the red, yellow and green lines. For more information, visit www.spymuseum.org.
About Barz Adventures Inc
BarZ Adventures Inc, founded in 2005, is an Austin, TX based company combining experts in the fields of computer delivery systems and interpretive content development. BarZ Adventures has designed the patented GPS Ranger® and Zoo Ranger® systems, and new Ranger Quest™ GPS gaming experience, with large venues and their visitors in mind – its sole mission is to enhance the visitor experience at high visitation locations using modern technology. GPS Ranger tours are currently available at Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site, Cedar Breaks National Monument, Vicksburg National Military Park, Death Valley National Park, Shenandoah National Park, Independence National Historical Park, Bryce Canyon National Park and Zion National Park. Zoo Ranger tours are available at the San Francisco Zoo, Dallas Zoo, Oklahoma City Zoo and Santa Barbara Zoo. Historic walking tours are available in Key West and St. Augustine, Florida, Bermuda, Stockyards Station and Texas Trail of Fame in Ft. Worth, and Austin, Texas, which was also the first GPS tour to be made available in American Sign Language (ASL). BarZ is proud to offer ADA compatible and accessible tours available in ASL, captioning, audio description and with accessible features information for the physically disabled. Additional tours are coming soon to Victoria (British Columbia), Sedona (Arizona), Santa Catalina Island (California), Great Bend (Kansas) and Poplar Forest (Virginia).
See also:
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