District Hunt
Click here for more information about District Hunt or Game Genius (the nonprofit that runs it)
What is District Hunt?
District Hunt is an annual Puzzle Hunt in Washington DC, meant to connect its players with the city’s culture and history.
Every year, District Hunt selects a theme (e.g. in 2024, it was Arts and Culture) and elevates nonprofits, partners, and history related to that theme.
Who is it for?
Almost anyone! District Hunt is written as a leveled puzzle, so you can stop whenever you’d like and feel rewarded with how much you solved.
District Hunt is for…
Children and Families - Who can feel accomplished solving the first level scavenger hunt in about an hour
Experienced Puzzlers - Who can enjoy the puzzles, riddles, and ciphers that wind them through DC
Inexperienced but Curious Puzzlers - Who can enjoy however far they get in a fun and supportive environment
How have I contributed?
In 2024, I took on the following roles for District Hunt:
Storyboarder - I was one of two main writers who determined the narrative that the Hunt would follow. As the theme was Arts and Culture, we wove a Shakespearean comedic tragedy of a playwright who was so close to fame throughout DC’s history. In the end, his masterpiece was a play about his life’s close encounters, which got turned into District Hunt as some of his last wishes.
Puzzle-writer - I was one of two main puzzle-writers. I ensured that puzzles encouraged players to interact and learn of their surroundings - they would need to visit cultural sights in order to solve puzzles. I balanced the puzzles to target the appropriate audiences by-level - Level 1 mimicked a scavenger hunt, Level 2 included word-based puzzles and riddles, and Level 3 contained challenging ciphers. All of these were written in poetry, and advanced the story that we were telling.
Researcher - I helped identify what DC sights and history we should shine a light on with this story. For Level 1, we partnered with the Folger Shakespeare Library as our starting location, where players interacted with a museum that many had not known existed. For Level 2, we took players to Black Broadway, a significant street in DC’s African American history.
Logistics Planner - Ahead of the Hunt, I helped map the route that players would take and the estimated timing to complete each level. With this, we ensured that appropriate business hours would support the puzzle we were writing. At the Hunt, I helped check players in, provided clarity to people who learned of the Hunt day-of, and aided players who got stumped with various puzzles.