Operation Sigismund

The diary of an 18th century Dutch aristocrat, by the name of Sigismund van Heiden Reinestein, is the starting point for the educational adventure in the basement of the monumental building of the Archive of the province of Drenthe (in Dutch: Drents Archief).

The children get pulled in by an exciting story and have to protect an important private collection against all kinds of dangers like dampness, fire, and ink corrosion. And solve the mystery of Sigismund along the way... The concept of an adventure game is used to create a learning environment in which the private records of Sigismund are naturally embedded.

The narrative structure gives information on the archive, its role and its collection a logical and appealing context, thus creating stimulating ground for learning. Waag created the concept of this game, did the interior design of the spaces (with partners) and developed the technology behind the whole project. 

Operation Sigismund is a cooperation between the Drents Archief in Assen and Waag in Amsterdam. The project is suported financially by Mondriaan Stichting, Provincie Drenthe, VSB fonds, Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds and NOT Fonds.

In 2007, the project was awarded the Erasmus EuroMedia Medal by the European Society for Education and Communication (ESEC).