Xixi Wang

Introducing an epic puzzle adventure: Pandora’s Legacy!

Pandora’s Legacy, TED-Ed’s first physical game, is an unforgettable experience that combines elements of jigsaw puzzles, escape rooms, puzzle hunts, and legacy board games into 12 to 15 hours of immersive, cooperative gameplay for 1 to 4 players.

What is the game about?

The Gods granted Pandora many wicked and wonderful gifts. From Poseidon, a pearl necklace that allowed her to breathe underwater. From Apollo, the gift of song. From Zeus, a sealed and forbidden box. And from Hera, the insatiable curiosity to open it.

And so Pandora gave into temptation and unleashed chaos upon the world.

Senne Trip

That’s where the story usually ends. But it’s where PANDORA’S LEGACY begins. 

In this adventure, Pandora doesn’t just accept her fate; she is determined to set things right. That’s where you come in. Playing as Pandora, with the help (and hindrance) of your favorite Olympians, your mission is to corral the chaos you created when you opened the box.

How do you play Pandora’s Legacy?

Step 1: Assemble the first part of the jigsaw.

Putting the pieces together

But wait! Something’s missing…

Where’s the rest of the jigsaw?

Step 2: Solve the first puzzle-within-the-puzzle and enter it into the digital companion to unlock the next section of the jigsaw.

The digital companion

Step 3: Solving each puzzle means searching the jigsaw for what you need. Every piece has a number on the back. Find the right piece and you’ll solve a puzzle OR get more clues.

Another clue

Step 4: Solve the puzzles and unlock more boxes! Some contain physical artifacts that are themselves puzzles. Others will reward you with more jigsaw pieces, filling in more of the illustration and advancing the narrative.

Game artifacts

Step 5: Repeat! Many, MANY surprises await. All leading up to the climatic ending of Pandora’s quest to set right the chaos she unleashed upon the world.

Alexandra Panzer

Learn more about this one-of-a-kind gaming experience and get your copy of Pandora’s Legacy today on Kickstarter!…

BIO

Pen-Pen Chen, M.S. CCC-SLP, TSSLD is a bilingual speech and language pathologist at PS 503 in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and a speech evaluator on the Central Speech Evaluation Team in the NYC Department of Education. She is also an English language instructor at the United Nations, an adjunct lecturer at Hunter College, and a professional voice over artist. (Listen to Pen-Pen narrate TED-Ed Lessons, including The benefits of a bilingual brain and The myth behind the Chinese zodiac.) Previously, Pen-Pen also taught Chinese at Columbia University, Teachers College and China Institute. As a TED-Ed Innovative Educator, Pen-Pen is passionate about inspiring a love for life-long learning in children, with a focus on English language learners and students with special needs, in low-income communities. Below, learn about her innovative curriculum, codenamed Game Changing Kids.

IDEA

Games, by their very nature, encourage active learning. Making games lets kids take charge of the learning process by engaging their passion and vision to create a tangible, playable end product. By designing a board game together, students take initiative, construct knowledge and grapple with problems, and learn design thinking and how an iterative process works. They also work collaboratively to share ideas, give feedback and succeed as a team.

INNOVATION PROJECT

The Game Changing Kids board game design project curriculum fosters a collaborative student culture of:

• creativity and innovation
• sharing and respect
• learning and growing

Through this project, students learn to take an idea from inception to execution, and to collaborate with their peers in meaningful work that is fun and engaging. Want to try it out with your students? Download the Game Changing Kids board game design project curriculum here.

Pen-Pen’s tips:
DO reach out to some colleagues for help. You can also do Game Days together, which makes it more fun.
DO give students time and space to explore their seemingly fanciful ideas.
DO get students to share their work with family, friends, and other teachers.
DO trust in the process. You will learn and grow with your students, and you’ll be amazed at what their creativity can achieve.

This article is part of the TED-Ed Innovation Project series, which highlights 25+ TED-Ed Innovation Projects designed by educators, for educators, with the support and guidance of the TED-Ed Innovative Educator program. You are welcome to share, duplicate and modify projects under this Creative Commons license to meet the needs of students and teachers. Art credit: iStockPhoto.