A game to raise public awareness of science
July 08 2025How can we spark the general public’s curiosity about science while deepening experts’ knowledge of open science? This is the challenge taken up by “Libérez la science – Freeing up Science,” a serious, fun, bilingual game created by INRAE and co-funded by AgroParisTech, INRAE, and the Graduate School Biosphera at the University of Paris-Saclay.
Two game enthusiasts, one game
The game consists of two complementary courses, brought together on the same board.
- The first set of cards is designed for the general public and features a variety of questions on topics such as biodiversity, participatory science, ethics in science, open science, the scientific method, and universities. It is an engaging way to stimulate knowledge acquisition, encourage discussion on key topics, and discover science in a different way, in a friendly and stimulating atmosphere.
- The second set of cards is aimed at a broad scientific audience and offers questions in French and English to explore the challenges of open science in greater depth. It aims to encourage reflection and discussion on this topic.
How to play
The game is designed for 2 to 6 players with the objective of accumulating the most “Free Access” cards by answering questions about science. The board also offers rewards or penalties depending on the squares the pawns land on, so that a player can move forward faster or backward. The game ends when a player or team reaches the last square.
Each series comes with an educational booklet containing answers, detailed explanations, and resources for further learning. This booklet is designed to guide facilitators or game masters and enrich the collective experience.
Où trouver le jeu ?
The game is already available on several sites:
- On the AgroParisTech campus
- At the Graduate School Biosphera (Paris-Saclay University)
- At the UMR GABI in Jouy-en-Josas
This project illustrates the commitment of AgroParisTech and its partners to scientific mediation and the democratization of science. One game, two audiences, and one goal: to make science alive and accessible to everyone.
All files have been deposited on Zenodo in PDF format under the terms of the Creative Commons CC-BY-NC license.