WARGAMING – WORLD OF TANKS GAMING ZONE, BOVINGTON TANK MUSEUM

The original Wargaming zone is a huge hit at both TANKFEST and the museum in general, with lovers of tank culture able to fully immerse themselves in the hands-on experiences we were able to provide. We built an extension to the original zone for 2023’s event which included console and mobile additions.

The extended zone sits around a historic British Army Centurion tank at the museum, and provides comfortable pod-style units where visitors can play World of Tanks ‘Modern Armor’ on installed consoles and ‘Blitz’ on tablet stands.

Xbox consoles were kept safe in hidden security cases around the activation.

Modern Armor and Blitz sections were designed with a war-like battle theme including faux corrugated sheets, barbed wire and bullet-ridden walls. Panels featured large screens, game and tank content alongside QR codes to direct people online to receive special offers. We also provided a green screen for creative war-like photo opportunities.

While Tankfest 2021 was a three-day event in September, the World of Tanks gaming zone would be a more permanent feature in the museum, scheduled to stay activated for at least two years, with a possible option to extend that timeframe. It wasn’t only a large installation to build, but a big project to manage in the long-term, too.

To futureproof what is a semi-permanent activation and to ensure the World of Tanks experience is as interactive and immersive to visitors in two years as it is today, we included only the best hardware throughout the exhibition’s 10 gaming zones, including state-of-the-art MSI gaming rigs, peripherals and top-of-the-line TV screens.

The activation wasn’t solely about gaming, though. We created interactive historical quizzes, too, for both beginners and experts to test their tank knowledge, with the best-of-the-best able to win game codes and other rewards. We also built a green-screen area complete with wartime props, where attendees could take wartime selfies and pictures of themselves on World of Tanks maps.

The activation also included work for Tankfest. Our team built a large World of Tanks-branded stage complete with full-colour fabric print and vinyl designs for guest speakers to make use of during the festival. We also added massive graphics to the museum walls including full-vinyl designs and foam boards, complemented by World of Tanks branding and painted features such as chevron tracks on the floor.