Presenting ancient history through serious games: a case-study in Assyriology

This thesis investigates how ancient history can be effectively presented through serious games for educational purposes, by presenting a case study in the field of Assyriology. It is anticipated that the results are applicable to other fields of history and cultural heritage. A model is presented to describe how heritage and historical content can be manifested in video games, for the design of serious games for heritage and the analysis of commercial games that present historical material. The theories of reduced fidelity constrained virtual environments are applied to serious games for heritage, to reduce required development resources. A constrained implementation of a serious game for Assyriology is tested against an equivalent 3D environment, and results indicate the constrained environment can achieve comparable levels of presence, enjoyment, quality, and interest in the subject. Based on an interview with an Assyriology field expert, a methodology for the analysis and design of serious games for heritage is presented, based on activity theory. The methodology is applied to the analysis and redesign of a serious game for Assyriology, and the development of a playable prototype. An online user-test showed the redesigned game was enjoyed by participants and was effective at achieving its learning objectives

Heritage Role Playing - History as an Interactive Digital Game

Creating virtual heritage environments that intend to be both engaging and educational is a challenging process. Digital archaeological reconstruction has been concerned with exact replication of facts rather than with understanding, for the latter raises the annoying dilemma of how to present scientific uncertainty. A computer model almost invariably implies certitude, and archaeologists are still not sure how to convey the murky battle of historical interpretation. Yet games are quite happy to allow users to "muddy" historical settings. And while the bulk of computer game design may be justly considered a-cultural or even anti-cultural, the underlying techniques of engaging interactively with the audience offer new ways of increasing the popularity and immersive learning of virtual environments. However there are some serious issues in heritage projects adopting a game-style approach. Would using interactive game techniques and technologies create a more engaging user experience? If we can animate the past in this way, will the entertainment factor help or impede learning, and how will we know how effective the interactivity is? And would our results help bridge the gap between the industry (be it virtual exhibitions or interactive game design) and academia

Serious Games in Cultural Heritage

Although the widespread use of gaming for leisure purposes has been well documented, the use of games to support cultural heritage purposes, such as historical teaching and learning, or for enhancing museum visits, has been less well considered. The state-of-the-art in serious game technology is identical to that of the state-of-the-art in entertainment games technology. As a result the field of serious heritage games concerns itself with recent advances in computer games, real-time computer graphics, virtual and augmented reality and artificial intelligence. On the other hand, the main strengths of serious gaming applications may be generalised as being in the areas of communication, visual expression of information, collaboration mechanisms, interactivity and entertainment. In this report, we will focus on the state-of-the-art with respect to the theories, methods and technologies used in serious heritage games. We provide an overview of existing literature of relevance to the domain, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the described methods and point out unsolved problems and challenges. In addition, several case studies illustrating the application of methods and technologies used in cultural heritage are presented

Developing serious games for cultural heritage: a state-of-the-art review

Although the widespread use of gaming for leisure purposes has been well documented, the use of games to support cultural heritage purposes, such as historical teaching and learning, or for enhancing museum visits, has been less well considered. The state-of-the-art in serious game technology is identical to that of the state-of-the-art in entertainment games technology. As a result, the field of serious heritage games concerns itself with recent advances in computer games, real-time computer graphics, virtual and augmented reality and artificial intelligence. On the other hand, the main strengths of serious gaming applications may be generalised as being in the areas of communication, visual expression of information, collaboration mechanisms, interactivity and entertainment. In this report, we will focus on the state-of-the-art with respect to the theories, methods and technologies used in serious heritage games. We provide an overview of existing literature of relevance to the domain, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the described methods and point out unsolved problems and challenges. In addition, several case studies illustrating the application of methods and technologies used in cultural heritage are presented

Experimental archeology and serious games: challenges of inhabiting virtual heritage

Experimental archaeology has long yielded valuable insights into the tools and techniques that featured in past peoples’ relationship with the material world around them. However, experimental archaeology has, hitherto, confined itself to rigid, empirical and quantitative questions. This paper applies principles of experimental archaeology and serious gaming tools in the reconstructions of a British Iron Age Roundhouse. The paper explains a number of experiments conducted to look for quantitative differences in movement in virtual vs material environments using both “virtual” studio reconstruction as well as material reconstruction. The data from these experiments was then analysed to look for differences in movement which could be attributed to artefacts and/or environments. The paper explains the structure of the experiments, how the data was generated, what theories may make sense of the data, what conclusions have been drawn and how serious gaming tools can support the creation of new experimental heritage environments

PHOTOGRAMMETRIC MODEL OPTIMIZATION IN DIGITALIZATION OF ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE: YEDIKULE FORTRESS

The idea of "digitalization of architectural heritage" has recently gained prominence to represent architectural and historical assets. With all these potentials, this study aims to create optimized models that can be used in serious gaming environments by presenting a method of photogrammetry. As a case study, Yedikule Fortress and its surroundings, which have a multi-layered structure that includes many cultural aspects such as Byzantine, Ottoman, and Republican periods in the historical process, have been studied within the scope of digitizing the architectural heritage to create an optimized model for gaming environments. The study was methodologically constructed in three phases: Photogrammetry, polygon modeling, and low poly/high poly baking process. The fortress and its surroundings are modeled using a high-detail point cloud and a high-poly mesh using aerial photogrammetry. The high-poly model was taken as a reference and transferred into a low-poly model as a mesh map, texture, and light characteristics. This allowed the high poly model to operate more efficiently and effectively in game engines. As a result, the study created a detailed and optimized model for the game engines to produce serious games specific to light and texture data, to be used on devices that support mixed reality (MR) technologies

Traditional museums, virtual museums. Dissemination role of ICTs.

Molti spazi della cultura, che si configurano come musei di sé stessi, presentano al loro interno pochi reperti esposti. È il caso di musei in edifici o aree archeologiche di seconda fascia, dai quali la maggior parte dei reperti è stata spostata in musei di importanza superiore o dove i reperti sono stati rimossi per diverse esigenze organizzative/espositive. In queste situazioni le ICT permettono di sviluppare un efficace sistema di comunicazione e disseminazione, coinvolgendo i visitatori e gli studiosi mediante l’utilizzo di procedure collegate all’Edutainment, all’interactive ed immersive experience, ai serious games e alla gamification. Come caso studio sono presi il Museo delle Mura, come museo in un edificio, e la Villa di Massenzio, come area archeologica, entrambi collocati sulla Via Appia Antica a Roma. Le esigenze della Sovrintendenza sono di valorizzare e divulgare: - la presenza del Museo, collocato in una delle numerose porte romane ancora ben conservate e site nel giro delle Mura Aureliane; - la storia della porta e del breve tratto di mura ad essa connesse; - la storia e l’articolazione delle mura di Roma. Per la Villa di Massenzio l’obiettivo principale è far comprendere la storia e la funzione delle due strutture (il circo ed il Mausoleo di Romolo), oggi visibili e visitabili, garantendo una maggiore comprensione di un’area di circa 4 ettari, in cui i visitatori oggi possono beneficiare solo di alcuni pannelli informativi.Many cultural spaces, which have been transformed into museums contain very few exhibits. In particular, museums in buildings or second-tier archaeological areas, where most of the finds have been moved to museums of major importance or exhibits that have been removed for different organizational/exhibition needs. In these situations, the use of ICT affords the possibility to incorporate effective communication and dissemination systems. As a result, it involves visitors and scholars within the exhibit using procedures related to edutainment, interactive and immersive experiences, serious games and gamification. As a case study are taken the Museum of the Walls, as a museum in building, and the archaeological area of the Maxentius archaeological complex, as an open-air museum, both located on the Ancient Appia road. In the Museum of the Walls Superintendent's requirements are to enhance and disseminate: - the presence of the Museum, located in one of the many well-preserved Roman city gates located in the Aurelian Walls; - the history of the city gate and of the short section of walls connected to it; - the history and articulation of the walls of Rome. In the Maxentius archaeological the main goal is to make understand the history and the function of the two main structures (the circus and a Mausoleum of Romulus), which are visible and open to visitors, ensuring a greater understanding of an area with the size of about 4 hectares, where visitors today can only benefit information from some panels

Designing Sugaropolis:digital games as a medium for conveying transnational narratives

In this paper, the authors present a case study of ‘Sugaropolis’: a two-year practice-based project that involved interdisciplinary co-design and stakeholder evaluation of two digital game prototypes. Drawing on the diverse expertise of the research team (game design and development, human geography, and transnational narratives), the paper aims to contribute to debates about the use of digital games as a medium for representing the past. With an emphasis on design-as-research, we consider how digital games can be (co-)designed to communicate complex histories and geographies in which people, objects, and resources are connected through space and time