Welcome to the 4th annual District Hunt

Every fall, Game Genius hosts a city-wide puzzle adventure to support its nonprofit mission and celebrate other changemakers in the Greater Washington DC region. Form a team, purchase your tickets, and solve the mystery to win prizes!

Each edition of the event is designed around an impact theme. Previous years have featured Women's History (2019), Mental Health (2020), and Climate/Environment (2021). This year will focus on different forms of Literacy, and consist of two ways to play:

TEAM CONTEST (Oct 1 @ 10:30amET): On opening day, a race to complete the puzzle as fast as possible begins. Prizes will be awarded based on several categories.
SELF DIRECTED (Oct 2-10): After the race begins, anyone who has signed up can complete the puzzle on their own time. No prizes will be awarded for this experience.

“The Wordsmith’s Wriddle” introduces an underground society of wordsmiths who use the power of language and storytelling to change the course of history. However, one of the members recently went rogue and tried to rewrite the past! It's not entirely clear who is responsible for this betrayal, but since none of the members trust each other, they contracted Game Genius to enlist teams of problem solvers to look into the mystery. Think you can help figure out what happened?

MEDIA: Destination DC, 730DC, Popville, DCist, NBC4

-- Contact us to learn how to sponsor the hunt or get featured as a literacy nonprofit: info@gamegenius.org

As a multi-day event, there are several opportunities to win. We work with local companies and venues to award player teams with thematic prize packages:

LEVEL 1: Experiences

LEVEL 2: Game Products

LEVEL 3: Swag Items

How are you planning around the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic? - Game Genius will follow up-to-date CDC recommendations to offer this year's hunt in a safe manner. Game Genius can't control what everyone will do in public, so we ask that you make the best judgment for you and your loved ones.

Who can sign up? - Everyone! The District Hunt is open to any individual or team who wants to play.

How much does it cost to play? - That depends. Before July 1st, early bird tickets cost $15/person or $50/team. Before August 15th, tickets cost $20/person or $70/team. After August 15th, regular tickets cost $30/person or $100/team. Thanks to our sponsors, we are able to offer the experience at discounted rates to players who work for any of our nonprofit partners or cannot afford full price.

When is the deadline to sign up? - Registration remains open until the event ends on October 10th. However, players must register by September 30th to participate on opening weekend.

Where does the event start? - On September 30, we will release a video with the first clue. The Team Contest portion of the District Hunt begins on October 1 at 10:30amET. Stay tuned for more information on specific timing through update emails sent by us. We recommend you block off one or both of the days to compete. The Self Directed part of the event takes place after the Team Contest begins. You can choose to complete the challenge whenever you'd like before October 10. After that date, we can't promise the clues will still be active.

What are the geographic boundaries of this event? - Our design team plans to build entirely within the DC diamond. There might be clue references about the Greater Washington region (DC, MD, VA), but players will only need to travel within the District.

How does the event work? - Part of this is a secret, but what we can tell you is that teams will progress through clues using a website on a smartphone. We plan to offer the experience in person (physical adventure), with some pieces completable from home online.

How long will the hunt take? - This entirely depends on your ability to solve the puzzles and navigate the city. Our goal is to make it completable within 1 day. Players are welcome to break up the game over several days or try to finish in a specific time window. In the contest, we'll design for the fastest time to be somewhere around 2-3 hours.

What do I need to participate? - For puzzle materials, we suggest bringing a smart phone and charging cable/device, along with pencil and paper to take notes. For the experience, we encourage players to plan accordingly around the weather and wear comfortable clothes/shoes for adventuring around a city. For transportation, we will design around what is safe and accessible for players. We will try to avoid advantaging those who have access to personal vehicles.

Who designed the puzzles? - A small team of Game Genius staff, local students, and volunteers. We're always looking for more designers, if you're interested for next year!

What age is this game appropriate for? - Our goal is to make the puzzles approachable by a 10-12 year old. They may not be able to solve everything by themselves, but should conceptually understand the game with the right guidance. We will also have a text hotline for clues after the race.

Do I need to have experience solving puzzles? - You don't need previous experience, but it can help identify familiar patterns or logic flows. Puzzles come in many different flavors, and we'll provide hints after the team contest. For the contest itself, we will not be giving clues to preserve the integrity of the game!

Can I complete the hunt alone? - Yes! It might be a daunting task and we always suggest playing with others, but there are no puzzles that require more than 1 person to solve it.

Can I invite more than 5 people to play with me? - Yes, but we recommend 2-5 players for maximum fun.

How does the District Hunt support Literacy? - This year's puzzle story is designed around local changemakers who focus on improving the region's literacy (i.e. basic language, cultural, financial, tech, civic). See our 2021 report below for an example of event impact.

How can I sponsor or partner with the District Hunt? - We welcome partners and sponsors that align with the literacy event theme in some way. As a small organization and volunteer committee, both monetary and in-kind support is very useful. We plan to grow this event every year, and we look forward to building a strong relationship. Please send an email to info@gamegenius.org for more information.

Can I donate to Game Genius and are donations tax-deductible? - Yes and yes! Game Genius is a 501(c)3 charitable organization. Any level of support is much appreciated. Click here to get started.

2022 District Hunt

The Wordsmith's Wriddle