The Shadow of the Future

A high-stakes Cold War game for schools

The Shadow of the Future was an interactive experience created by Coney for Key Stage 4 students, commissioned by Imperial War Museums Duxford. Designed to be played by a full classroom of students inside the American Air Museum, the project invited young people to step into the shoes of Cold War scientists, grappling with decisions that could shape – or shatter – the world.

Students were recruited as newly appointed scientists at the RAND Corporation and guided by an in-world Professor via Coney’s Magic Phone Platform. With just 50 minutes on the clock, they worked in teams, played through game rounds, met John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev, and explored the real-world exhibitions of the museum – all while navigating the delicate diplomacy of a world on the brink of World War III.

Coney developed the experience to be fully self-guided by classrooms and their teachers, designed to meet clear learning objectives: to explore how decisions were made during the Cold War, understand their consequences, and consider their ongoing societal impact. It was part theatrical game, part historical exploration – and entirely powered by the students themselves.