All photos by Chantelle D’mello
Kids in Qatar who want to get a behind-the-scenes look at the famous video game franchise Angry Birds have one last day to do it.
The exhibition, which focuses on the science behind the Angry Birds university, will run through tonight at Katara Cultural Village, near the St. Regis entrance.
It’s been organized by the Qatar Tourism Authority in conjunction with Imagine Exhibition and Fischer Appelt, and was first introduced to the Middle East last month in Dubai.
Zones
The exhibition, which runs from 1 to 11pm, is divided into numerous zones, with the aim of offering attendees a novel immersive and educational experience into the creation and physics behind the game.
Entrance costs QR50/person, but children under five years old enter free. Those coming in groups of five are offered a discounted rate at QR40 /person.
The exhibition is sectioned into different areas, each dealing with a specific principle or concept.
At “Meet the Birds,” attendees are introduced to the main characters and their personalities, including three dimensional renderings of birds like Red, Hal, Stella, Terence, Bubbles, and Jim, among others.
At the “Cobalt Plateaus,” children are encouraged to race miniature cars down race tracks, while the “Bamboo Forest” features interactive installations covering concepts like motion, force and torque.
At “Crown Mountains,” children are invited to zip-line down a small path and knock a soft target off its pedestal, in an imitation of a portion of the Angry Birds game.
In “The City,” attendees are allowed to take part in a real-life game, where they attempt to knock off items stacked in boxes with a foam ball and a life-sized sling shot.
Other zones include a laser tag area, a mini-planetarium, a vortex table, an earthquake table, a gear installation, a pulley system, an art/animation studio and an indoor climbing wall.
Screens around the area offer glimpses into “real” angry birds in nature, along with information about wingspans for different species.
Mixed response
The Angry Birds Universe first opened last month, to mark Eid Al Adha festivities.
Over the past several weeks, reaction to the exhibition has been mixed.
During a recent visit, Doha News observed numerous children actively engaging in the exhibition’s installations and asking the staff on site for explanations of the concepts employed.
But not everyone appeared to be having a good time.
Speaking to Doha News at the exhibition, 11-year-old Wyatt Weeks said the activities didn’t meet his expectations.
“I like what they’re trying to do, but parts of it don’t live up. The simple machines (zone), for example…I don’t think it goes together.”
His aunt, Cheryl Mitchell, added:
“We expected a lot more. A lot of the things are rudimentary, and for a younger audience. We wanted more hands-on things. For children who know the basics of physics, it’s not so educational or attention-grabbing, and for children who don’t know physics, the lesson would be lost on them.”
But others, including Gerardo Pollicino, an Argentinian expat and a father to three toddlers, said that his family had a great experience.
“We all love it. My daughter is two, so she’s too small to understand it, but my other children (ages five and seven years old) are having lots of fun! It’s a nice idea to have them play and take part in educational games as opposed to just viewing an exhibition.”
He added that this was the first time in his seven years in Qatar that he had been to an interactive exhibition tailored to children in the country.
Have you visited the Angry Birds Universe? Thoughts?
