Harker isn’t the first institution to turn to pared-down online puzzles as an educational tool. Paruzal’s games take place in all kinds of settings, from Bruce Springsteen concerts to coffee shops and pizzerias, with high stakes, including “Can you find the backup coffee beans before the food critic arrives?” “Will you be able to build the bobblehead to unlock your office door on time?” and “Will you get to meet Bruce Springsteen in his dressing room before the journalist arrives and interrupts you?” They’re low-tech operations, though: a Zoom call, a series of PowerPoint-esque slides, and a game master who leads the charge.
The game came from a collaboration between Harker and Paruzal, a Denver-based company that specializes in live-hosted online escape rooms. But for me, a grown-up, it was a heck of a lot of fun. I imagine that, to an 11-year-old, the process may have been stressful and somewhat dystopian. Harker let me go through the game myself, alongside a friend of mine who’s an experienced escape room artist. Over a Zoom call, the 11-year-olds work together to solve a series of Harker-themed puzzles, and admissions officers observe their behavior. One San Jose private school has come up with a unique solution: The Harker School, self-described as “one of the nation’s top college prep schools,” is putting teams of sixth grade applicants through a virtual escape room. With things like open houses, campus tours, and in-person interviews off the table, applicants have fewer chances to experience their prospective schools - and admissions offices have fewer chances to meet their prospective students. Applying to an elite middle school sounds like a stressful experience, and I’m sure COVID-19 doesn’t help.
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