This wasn’t about a digital or board game but an urban game where the “board” is the city itself. To play, prisoners had to leave the confines of the prison walls—and that’s exactly what happened. Two inmates, accompanied by the director of the prison school, ventured into the city to play a game created by students of the Płock prison-based CKU in 2021.
The urban game, titled “In the Footsteps of John Paul II in Płock,” was designed to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Polish pope’s visit to the Płock prison. The event was widely covered in the local press and on the Polish Prison Service’s website.
When John Paul II visited Płock in 1991, he stopped at several locations. Even today, his presence can be felt through landmarks like the monument near Płock Cathedral. The game invites participants to explore these “traces” of the pope’s visit, solving puzzles along the way to reach the final goal: acquiring a symbolic “treasure” in the form of a commemorative seal.
The game’s tasks include solving simple riddles, decoding messages, and finding inscriptions on buildings, monuments, and plaques. Step by step, participants work toward uncovering the final password that opens a coded box containing the seal. Without careful and thorough exploration of Płock’s streets, the final solution—and the treasure—remains out of reach!
Remarkably, the entire game text is written in verse and was prepared by several prisoners from Płock. The graphic design, too, was entirely created by inmate students, who dedicated significant effort to achieving an impressive final result.
It’s worth noting that being allowed to leave prison for cultural and educational activities is one of the highest forms of recognition for inmates demonstrating positive behavior during their sentences. This time, the honor was granted to two students of the prison school. They spent the entire morning outside the prison walls, enjoying favorable weather that made the experience even more memorable.
The fruitful collaboration between the CKU’s administration and the Penitentiary Department leadership continues to yield such impactful initiatives. Preparations are already underway for more educational activities beyond the prison premises, offering inmate students additional opportunities for unconventional learning. After all, this is one of the most effective forms of rehabilitation and social reintegration!
For those interested in learning more about the urban game or John Paul II’s visit to the Płock prison, we encourage you to visit the project’s website: http://busola.edu.pl/project/30-lecie-wizyty-jana-pawla-ii-w-plocku/. There, you can download the urban game’s sheet and try it yourself—who knows, maybe one day you’ll visit Płock and take part in this unique experience! The site also features a photo chronicle of the pope’s historic meeting with prisoners and a podcast with testimonials from witnesses of this extraordinary event.
