Our mission is to make learning an experiential journey—where knowledge isn’t just acquired but lived. We revolutionise training and education by designing interactive games and immersive digital methodologies that bridge the gap between theory and practice. Through advanced 3D, AR, and VR experiences we empower educators, businesses, and institutions to create self-paced, real-world simulations that enhance engagement, skill retention, and skill development.
The Team
Hands-on immersive simulations for professional trainigs.
Whether it’s training new employees or regular compliance training, Athena Quest solutions can help you speed up training experiences while keeping them engaging and educational. On average, companies in Europe lose up to 2.5% of total annual output due to productivity losses during onboarding, with direct training costs averaging $1,280 per employee annually. Our custom made immersive 3D, AR, and VR simulations provide hands-on, self-paced training that reduces onboarding time, enhances retention, and ensures employees gain practical experience in a risk-free environment. From leadership development to technical skills and compliance training, Athena Quest transforms learning into an interactive journey—boosting efficiency, confidence, and long-term performance.
Here are some examples:
VET VR ACADEMY
by René Bigum
The VR VET Academy project focuses on revolutionizing vocational education and training (VET) in the hospitality sector (Horeca) by incorporating digital tools, especially Virtual Reality (VR), to meet emerging learner needs. The project is designed to promote digital transformation in VET organizations while enhancing training effectiveness and accessibility in response to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The integration of VR into training modules allows for immersive, hands-on learning experiences that address key competencies in hospitality training.
Evidence Based Practice for Nurses
by René Bigum
Designed for nursing students, educators, and healthcare professionals, ENCLEBP offers an interactive online escape room that enhances evidence-based practice (EBP) competencies in a safe, engaging, and problem-solving environment.
Built around the five-step EBP framework, the game challenges players to assess real-life patient cases, improving their ability to critically appraise evidence, make informed clinical decisions, and apply best practices in healthcare settings.
Immersive Online Escape Room – Learn and apply EBP principles in an engaging, interactive setting.
Realistic Clinical Scenarios – Train in evidence-based decision-making without real-life patient risks.
Multi-User & Team-Based Learning – Play individually or collaborate with peers.
Rail Interlocking System Simulation
by René Bigum
A comprehensive open-source tool that accurately models real-world railway systems, providing users with a detailed, interactive environment for learning railway management and maintenance. RISS is a pioneering project focused on transforming vocational education in railway management and maintenance. By offering free, open-source training materials, it bridges the skills gap in the railway systems field, providing an accessible and sustainable solution to the high costs and specialized labor shortages that characterize the industry. RISS uses cutting-edge simulation software and an innovative online education platform to offer hands-on learning experiences that prepare students for real-world challenges in railway systems.
The Usage of Multipurpose Tasks in Maritime Simulation
by René Bigum
A set of 21 real-world scenarios developed to provide hands-on training in ship machinery maintenance. These simulations allow students to practice procedures and apply theoretical knowledge in a safe, virtual environment. UMTMS is an Erasmus+ project focused on improving digital training and learning experiences for students in the field of ship machinery. With maritime trade being a critical part of global economies, the demand for trained professionals in ship machinery and maintenance is on the rise. UMTMS seeks to bridge this gap by providing interactive, real-time simulations and an online education platform that supports distance learning and hands-on training in ship machinery maintenance.
ViRe Train
by Rasmus Pechul
We created ViRe Train to support VR in vocational nursing education. This progra supports the use of VR glasses in realistic simulation scenarios to train nurses. Based on Darmann-Finck’s educational heuristic, a pedagogical concept for VR-supported learning situations was developed. The pedagogical concept led to the creation of well-grounded and theoretically underpinned modules which mirror the complexities of reality. A VR-tutorial and three stand-alone VR scenarios were designed and developed by the team to support students in gaining competencies across chosen areas of nursing, namely surgical care, respiratory care, and acute stroke care.
Hands-on immersive simulations for the educational market.
Students can learn through play with custom made Athena Quest experiences. Using 3D, AR, and VR, we design interactive games and simulations that bring complex subjects to life, making lessons more engaging, memorable, and applicable to the real world. Whether enhancing university courses or primary education our solutions bridge the gap between theory and practice, empowering students to explore, experiment, and master new skills in dynamic, risk-free environments.
Here are some examples:
Against the Shadows
by Rasmus Pechul
This is a cooperative game that can be customized by teachers to fit their needs.
Education faces huge challenges when it comes to engaging young generations. This applies especially to motivation and the initiative to learn. With the project SHADOWS we wanted to try out a game-based approach and see if it can help high school students achieve better learning results. The basic idea is to create a game that students can play together in which they fight back the darkness and answer a lot of questions in the process.
We also wanted to let teachers customize the game so that they can make sure that the learning content is relevant for their students. For this reason we developed a web-based editor which lets teachers do just that… they can select questions from our huge collection and they can also customize them or create their own questions.
Since SHADOWS is a project funded by the EU it is completely free to use and will stay that way.
Knights of the European Grail
by Rasmus Pechul
In this point-and-click language learning adventure, players explore medieval Europe with two different protagonists. There are many challenges throughout the game. There is a mysterious group, the Knights of Arthur, who possess powerful runestones, and Richard's main goal will be to find out more about his training and heritage in this secret organization. The game contains classic escape game elements such as various puzzle types on the topic of learning languages in different environments and was developed with Unity Engine. The game has been optimized for mobile devices.
Enchanted Crystals
by Rasmus Pechul
Enchanted Crystals is the result of an intense two year project that has brought together game developers, teachers, and researchers from all over Europe to try to help improve maths education in young people. We investigated curricula and best practice across various EU countries and spoke with teachers who told us that pupils who struggled with fundamental mental mathematics have real difficulty in understanding more advanced concepts, and we looked to literature and science to underpin the way we developed Enchanted Crystals as a helpful aid for teachers. The game focus on practicing and mastering basic algebra skills and it skillfully hides the math behind magic spells, making practicing algebra fun.
Soverana
by Rasmus Pechul
Soverana is a board game with a digital component that aims to promote active citizenship among young people, improve their integration and inclusion, and strengthen their contribution to the functioning and development of democratic debate and a sustainable society. The game is designed to help young people learn key life skills, develop knowledge about human rights and citizenship, and promote positive civic action. The digital version of the game is available on Android and iOS devices in all resolutions and sizes.
Digital Natives for a Green Future
by René Bigum
Digital Natives for a Green Future transforms education for younger students by integrating digital learning solutions and gamification with environmental awareness, equipping both students and educators with the tools to address climate challenges. Aligned with the EU Circular Economy Action Plan and the EU Digital Education Action Plan, the initiative enhances digital proficiency while fostering sustainability consciousness.
Mountains of Absolutely Terrifying Height
by Rasmus Pechul
Mountains of Absolutely Terrifying Heights is a game that challenges you to climb mountains faster than your friends. Take a look at the slope ahead of you, then take an educated guess how steep it is and you'll be racing up the mountainside or tumbling to your doom, depending on your accuracy. Use items that give you an advantage against your opponents at strategic moments and you will soon be dominating the charts as the best mountain climber.
The game supports a competitive mode between learners and never forces them to calculate, relying instead on guesses to approximate solutions. This will encourage students who are scared of math, giving them a low barrier access while helping them develop a feeling for math and encouraging them to start calculating when they realize that a precise answer will make them climb faster.
Clash of Wizardry
by Rasmus Pechul
Do you have what it takes to become a powerful wizard? Make your friends grovel in front of you when they see your mastery of magic spells! Create your own wizard avatar and join the arena in which you battle other wizards in short duels. Choose from a great selection of spells but choose wisely. Reacting to your opponents with the right spells and mastering the most damaging magic is a sure way to win and gain eternal glory. Teach your opponents what a fireball feels like, summon an ice storm, or let them feel a touch of necromancy! However, be careful… Overestimating your skills and attempting the most powerful spells will lead to certain doom!
E-Scape
by Rasmus Pechul
The E-scape App is an educational escape room which can be played by multiplayers and it will enable the players to gain or develop new soft skills for their personal and professional profile, increasing their future opportunities. The target group of our app is young people and the app is used in youth work.
Language Detective
by Rasmus Pechul
Language Detective is an interaction- and deduction-based criminal-drama-style game, where players need to communicate with each other, coordinate their activities, understand the narrative, and complete language learning exercises to solve criminal mysteries.
Language Detective can be played solo, but it is a great team-building application for up to 3 players that helps users develop and train their soft skills such as communication, reading comprehension, deduction, critical thinking, note-taking, and resource management. All done in an exciting environment of investigating a crime.
ECoS - Early Coding in School
by Rasmus Pechul
ECoS is a web-based program that teaches kids programming in Python by taking them through an exciting adventure as a secret agent. This game-based approach simulates a work day of the player in a security agency in which it is important to learn programming and fight the bad guys who are causing mischief everywhere. The player can chat with colleagues and enter and modify programming code on the website. Tasks start at an entry level and get harder as the game progresses.
Code Quest
by Rasmus Pechul
The main objective of this game is to use the highly motivating features of videogames to promote interest in coding in young people, and especially in girls. Videogames have a set of characteristics such as proposing challenging goals in scenarios where players need to discover the rules with high interactivity, and immediate feedback that achieve a great player engagement. We believe that these characteristics can be effectively used to increase the interest in coding and the computational thinking skills of young people. By using an alternative language that is very close to them such as videogames, we can change the perception that young people have of breaking the stereotype that coding is only for male nerds and attract a wider audience.
The game works by collecting and training little creatures for races. The training is essentially coding but it is hidden beneath a playful surface.
VREurope
by René Bigum
multiplayer VR scenarios that simulate significant historical events, transforming traditional learning into an exciting and interactive social gaming experience. Students are immersed in a rich, virtual environment where they actively participate in historical events, solve puzzles, and complete tasks, all while improving their language proficiency and cultural understanding. The scenarios are designed to not only enhance historical knowledge but also facilitate language acquisition through real-time verbal interaction and dialogue practice.
The VR simulations offer a unique "flight simulator" style learning approach, where learners can explore history through immersive, hands-on experiences. By engaging with these events firsthand, students develop a deeper, more nuanced understanding of history and culture, while also improving their language skills. This approach fosters interdisciplinary learning and cross-cultural exchange, making education more engaging, inclusive, and accessible.
