Track 14 – Play, Learn, Explore (Serious Games Society – GALA SESSION)

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    Exploring Saudi Arabian Traditions Through Roblox Puzzles For Children
    (The Eurographics Association, 2025) Aljurais, Alaa; Champion, Erik; Campana, Stefano; Ferdani, Daniele; Graf, Holger; Guidi, Gabriele; Hegarty, Zackary; Pescarin, Sofia; Remondino, Fabio
    The video game sector in Saudi Arabia is experiencing significant expansion due to technological development, along with governmental strategies such as Vision 2030 [AKM23]. The expansion of the gaming industry in Saudi Arabia is currently far more advanced than the range and accessibility of Saudi cultural heritage on digital platforms. Museums, along with documentaries, fail to match the contemporary audience's expectations because they don't provide interactive capabilities, which are preferred by modern listeners, especially younger generations. Roblox is rated as the second most popular game among Saudi children, according to Albaqami's [Alb22] report, making it an ideal platform for offering cultural heritage content via an interactive digital system. This study explores how Roblox can be used to design culturally informed educational games that promote awareness of Saudi Arabia's intangible cultural heritage (ICH). By assessing existing heritage games and theoretical frameworks, a game design prototype with an emphasis on interactive storytelling, exploration, and collaborative gameplay was developed. For children between the ages of 8 and 10, the prototype incorporates traditional elements such as clothing, folklore, and customs. In addition, the prototype will be tested by 30 participants, including both children and their parents, at the project stage. Through exploration of game environments as well as interactive challenges with roleplaying opportunities, active participation in the game model is enabled. Thus, the research will analyse how educational games in Roblox could preserve Saudi historical heritage. Also, design components affect cultural education through player assessments of Saudi tradition understanding, and their knowledge acquisition, together with cultural material contacts. Then, this research develops operational guidelines that help Saudi Arabia include cultural heritage content in its gaming domain for children's cultural heritage connection.