IDEAS developed 64 different digital media and interactive elements for the National Museum of Crime & Punishment, ranging from audio environments to historical videos to touch screen games. The museum takes visitors on a tour featuring past criminals such as Jesse James, Al Capone, and John Dillinger through to the cyber-crimes of today as well as tells the stories of America’s many law enforcement heroes and their individual tales of bravery in bringing criminals to justice.
Located not far from the White House in Washington, D.C., the National Museum of Crime &Punishment is a complete three-story attraction that takes visitors through early Medieval times, the swashbuckling Pirate era, the gun-slinging Old West, the gangster/depression era leading into modern crime, assassinations & conspiracies, serial killers and mass murders, the crime fighting technologies of today, and conclude with an entire area devoted to “America’s Most Wanted”, the nation’s top crime fighting television show. AWM Host John Walsh guides visitors through a replica set of the show and shares the stories of how America’s crime fighting citizenry have helped put thousands of criminals behind bars.
Video screens are also stationed in strategic locations, playing elements created by IDEAS with original production elements, stock footage, and images from each appropriate historical time frame. In addition, IDEAS developed various audio environments throughout the facility.
The video below is a reenactment of a murder scene for the National Museum of Crime & Punishment. Because of the usage in the museum, the video has no audio. The interactive exhibit runs the video and then the guests have to use the clues left behind to help identify the perpetrator.
Games
IDEAS designed 20 touch screen interactive media elements that are stationed in a variety of locations within the museum. Guests have the ability to learn about the history of each era by playing interactive games. The games and interactives IDEAS developed for the National Museum of Crime and Punishment were created using Flash, Director along with touchscreens, fingerprint scanners and more. Graphics were created using Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, After Effects and Maya for 3D.
Bomb Squad
The goal is to find the bomb hidden in a vehicle, then bring it to a safety zone before it explodes. Use the directional buttons on the bottom left of the screen to navigate the robot, and use the action button to interact with the bomb.
Trials of the Century
A touchscreen trivia game which revolves around high-profile court cases. All of the trivia questions are loaded from an XML file so the trivia questions can be updated easily.
Can You Escape?
The power has gone out, and the security system won’t be down for long. Can you find your way out of prison before you get caught? Created with Adobe Flash, this is another fun touchscreen game.
What’s My Crime?
When Silent Criminals Attack: Hacker
Crime Fighter Tribute
Ambient Audio Experience
Here’s an example of one of the ambient audio experiences in the museum.
