13 October 2026

On 3 October, around 15,000 guests visited the Garching research campus. MCQST was there with a joint booth of the Munich Excellence Clusters, where visitors could try out quantum physics, meet the researchers behind it, and celebrate the launch of the new learning game, Qookies.

A booth full of things to try

The MCQST booth was one of the stops along the Excellence Avenue of the Munich CLusters of Excellence, alongside Biosystems, Cross-Cultural Philology, e-conversion, Nucleate, Origins, and Transform, the e-conversion. Visitors of all ages came by with a “Forschungspass” (research passport), collecting a stamp at every station for a chance to win a science-inspired goodie.

At the MCQST station, quantum physics was something to play with. Quantum tic-tac-toe is the classic game with one twist: the rules follow the laws of quantum mechanics, so winning takes some rethinking. Visitors also explored how light is polarised, learned what a qubit actually is, and designed their own button to take home. Our researchers were on hand all day to answer questions and share their fascination with quantum physics.

Qookies goes live

A particular highlight was the launch of Qookies, the new puzzle game about quantum technologies. It took three years to develop, with researchers, didactics experts and game developers working side by side, and the result is a learning game that is genuinely fun to play. Players team up with the AI-supported quantum scientist Yuki to solve puzzles about qubits, photons and more.

At the launch event, the team gave a look behind the scenes and then released the game live on stage. Afterwards, visitors continued the conversation at our booth and tried it out for themselves. Ten days after the release, Qookies has already been downloaded more than 1,000 times. Thank you to everyone who has played so far!

Qookies is free and available at qookies.de.

A journey through the history of quantum physics

In the TUM School of Computation, Information and Technology building, visitors could explore our exhibition on the history of quantum physics, created in 2025 by Cecilia Scorza from LMU Physics and MCQST for the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. It introduces the pioneers who shaped the field and invites visitors to test their knowledge in a quiz. The exhibition is mobile and is currently travelling to school classes across Germany.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by and played along, to our fellow Munich Excellence Clusters, and to all the helpers and organizers who made the day possible. We hope to see you at our next public event!