From GPS experience to running his own business
Bastiaan Prijt: The foundation for Activents was laid during my time working in the outdoor sector, where I was introduced to designing GPS-based challenges. I immediately loved it. When my employer went bankrupt in 2019, I knew: “I want to continue with this – but on my own terms.”
What really drew me in was the idea that you can activate and engage a huge group of people simultaneously through one well-designed game. I thought it was fantastic to send hundreds of people off at once using a single experience – and that’s exactly what Activents now does.
From frustration to freedom: discovering Caught
Bastiaan Prijt: At the outdoor company I worked for, we used Loquiz to build games. It worked, but we often ran into limitations. Want an extra feature? That meant buying another add-on. As someone just starting out, that wasn’t sustainable.
I was looking for something that felt more like a box of Lego: flexible and modular. Through Fort Defense, I discovered Caught. As soon as I tried the platform, I knew: this is it.
Caught turned out to be that Lego box I had been looking for – a system that gives me complete freedom to build exactly what I imagined, without limits.
Why Caught? The power creative freedom and blank triggers
Bastiaan Prijt: What immediately appealed to me was the creative freedom. With Caught, you’re not confined to fixed formats or rigid structures. You can build your own logic – whether it’s a simple linear path or a complex web of interconnected triggers. Other platforms imposed technical limits; Caught gives you the space to build the way you think.
The blank trigger is the most powerful tool in Caught for me. It lets me mix, match, and adapt endlessly. I often build chains of blank triggers for different tasks and can reuse or reposition them any time within other contexts. That flexibility makes developing games fun and fluid.
This approach also allows us at Activents to fully tailor each game to the location it’s used in. At Amersfoort Zoo, for example, participants answer questions about the animals – complete with video and images. At the National Military Museum, players dive into the history of the former Soesterberg Air Base with escape room-style puzzles and team challenges.
Scaling up with ease
Bastiaan Prijt: Activents runs events with groups ranging from 50 up to 200 participants at the same time – and that works effortlessly with Caught. Thanks to timers and a smart points system, all teams can start and finish simultaneously.
What’s great is that you don’t need to build an overly complicated game. Just by linking points to certain actions or answers, you can guide the pace and competitive aspect of the experience – which works perfectly for large groups.
Additionally, Caught allows games to be almost fully self-guided. In most cases, participants just log in, and the game takes care of the rest. We sometimes place instructors at specific stations for added interaction, but the games can function entirely independently. If built well, you hardly need to supervise anything. You can literally sit back and say, “See you at the awards ceremony.”
What do customers say?
Bastiaan Prijt: The feedback is almost always positive. The games work smoothly, and participants really enjoy them. Technical issues are rare – and when something does go wrong, it’s usually due to user error, not the platform.
Another big advantage is Caught’s whitelabel approach. Our clients only see the Activents app – they’re unaware it runs on Caught. The platform operates quietly in the background, while we as a company remain the face of the product. That consistency and professionalism makes a big impression.
Tips for new users of Caught
Bastiaan Prijt: My biggest tip: keep it simple. When you’re just starting out, resist the urge to create something overly complex with lots of triggers and advanced logic. No matter how clever your design is, complexity often leads to confusion for the player.
Start with a basic game that takes participants from point A to B with clear tasks and straightforward instructions. That keeps the experience intuitive for your players and manageable for you as a builder.
Another major benefit: Caught allows full custom branding. From the customer’s point of view, it looks and feels like your own app – which builds trust and reinforces professionalism.
What’s next for Activents with Caught?
Bastiaan Prijt: So far, our largest group using Caught was 1,500 players simultaneously – but we consider that just the beginning.
Our ambition is to build games that support 10,000 or even 20,000 players at once. The concepts are ready, and technically it’s all possible. Now it’s just a matter of finding the time to build it.
Caught is ready. And so is Activents.
