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Working with Qugato
Connecting people with their surroundings and each other
Qugato creates interactive, location-based games that bring people together outdoors. Our games help people discover their surroundings and start conversations about the places where they live, learn or work, and about the themes that matter there.
We do not see play as an end in itself, but as an accessible way to actively involve people in their surroundings and in one another.
Whether the focus is social cohesion in a neighbourhood, citizenship education at school, or cultural stories in a historic city centre, the approach is always the same: the location becomes the setting, the game becomes the starting point, and the conversation is what stays with people afterwards.
We are keen to work with organisations that see room for meaningful content, experimentation and lasting social impact, and that want to use play as a way to activate, connect and engage people in learning.
Why work with Qugato?
Our partnerships are shaped by content, context, and purpose. Qugato brings expertise in digital storytelling, game design and game-based learning. Our partners bring subject expertise, local insight or social challenges rooted in their communities. Together, we translate this knowledge into playful experiences that are accessible to a wide and diverse audience.
Rather than creating one-off activities, we focus on experiences that:
- Gets people actively involved, rather than leaving them to simply consume information.
- Connects stories to the places where they unfold.
- Encourages social connection and conversation, including between people who do not yet know each other.
- Creates space for education, participation and social reflection.
How we approach collaboration
To us, collaboration means working together from the outset, shaping ideas collectively rather than delivering a pre-defined solution.
In practice, this means:
- Co-creation: developing content together, from concept to delivery.
- Using play as a tool for learning, participation and meaningful engagement.
- Designing projects that respond to context, audience, and purpose.
We look for partners who are open to exploration and experimentation, and who see value in approaches where content, format, and location are closely connected.
Who we like to work with
Cultural and heritage organisations
We collaborate with museums, archives, and heritage organisations who want to share their stories in engaging, contemporary ways. Our games make it possible to experience heritage beyond institutional walls and to reach new audiences through active participation.
Examples of collaborations include:
- Interactive public routes centred on local heritage and storytelling.
- Educational games linked to collections or exhibitions.
- Temporary or thematic projects in public space.
City Detective: These city games show how play can be a powerful way into heritage. Players stand in the very places where things happened and discover, through the game, the stories hidden behind what they see.
In this way, City Detective also reaches people who might not usually feel drawn to traditional heritage experiences, by letting them discover it through play. More than 6,000 players have already explored Dutch cities in this way.
Local authorities and community initiatives
Play can be a powerful tool for community engagement, helping people connect with their neighbourhood and with one another. Our games are shaped by the identity, history, and dynamics of a specific area.
Examples of collaborations include:
- Place-based games focused on connection and participation.
- Routes highlighting local initiatives and community facilities.
- Pilot projects supporting stronger communities and shared spaces.
Neighbourhood game: In partnership with Indebuurt033, we developed our first neighbourhood game pilot in Nieuwland, a district of Amersfoort. Through an interactive route, residents discover local initiatives, stories and meeting places in their neighbourhood.
The pilot shows how play can offer a low-threshold way into local involvement, without participants feeling as though they are “taking part in a participation project”.
Education and learning partners
Together with schools, colleges and educational organisations, we like to create games that support active learning beyond the classroom. We align with learning outcomes while keeping curiosity, exploration, and play at the heart of the experience.
Examples of collaborations include:
- Educational routes in cities, neighbourhoods or natural environments.
- Custom challenges linked to curriculum themes.
- Project weeks and induction programmes.
- Pilots exploring new approaches to learning through play.
Diversity & Inclusion game: We are currently developing a game format around diversity and inclusion, designed specifically for secondary education.
Pupils head out in small groups and, through statements, location-based information and conversation prompts, discuss what connects them and what makes them different. The conversations they have along the route are then reflected on together in class.
Nature and landscape organisations
Location-based games also offer strong opportunities in rural and natural settings. We explore partnerships with organisations that want to raise awareness of landscape, ecology, and sustainability in an engaging and accessible way.
Examples of collaborations include:
- Location-based games in natural or recreational areas.
- Educational routes focused on landscape and ecology.
- Projects encouraging respectful and mindful experiences of nature.
Our role in partnerships
Within collaborations, Qugato typically contributes expertise in:
- Concept development and game design.
- Translating stories and themes into playable experiences.
- Digital and location-based formats.
- Testing, evaluation and iterative development.
We value partnerships where each organisation brings its own expertise, networks or local knowledge. This leads to balanced collaborations where responsibilities and ownership are shared.
Interested in collaborating?
Do you have an idea, project or challenge where play could help engage people, tell meaningful stories or encourage participation? We would love to explore it with you.
We are particularly interested in ideas that:
- Make local, historical or social stories accessible.
- Extend learning beyond traditional formats.
- Explore how place-based games can contribute to social themes.
- Use play to foster connection, participation or shared experience.
- Involve collaboration within funded or innovation programmes.
Do you see opportunities to use play within an educational, social or community-based project? We are always excited by good ideas, even when they are still at an early stage.
Get in touch and let’s explore what’s possible together.
WhatsApp or call
- +31 (0)85 800 60 80
- (Mon to Fri from 10 am to 6 pm)
Let’s start a conversation
Share a few details about your project or idea, and we’ll be in touch within two working days to discuss next steps.
Played by thousands of detectives across the Netherlands
More than 6,000 players have already taken on the challenge of City Detective. Played by friends, families, colleagues and students alike.
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