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

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https://diglib.eg.org/handle/10.2312/3607229

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Characterization of Games Technologies for Learning in the Context of Intangible Cultural Heritage
(The Eurographics Association, 2025) Zúniga-Solórzano, Marcos E.; Fabregat, Ramon; Jové, Teodor; Campana, Stefano; Ferdani, Daniele; Graf, Holger; Guidi, Gabriele; Hegarty, Zackary; Pescarin, Sofia; Remondino, Fabio
This paper explores the application of Game Technologies for Learning (GT4L), which includes Serious Games, Gamification, and Game-Based Learning in the context of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). According to the United Nations and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular, target 4 of SDG 11, this study emphasizes the importance of preserving ICH, such as oral traditions, performing arts, and traditional craftsmanship, in an increasingly globalized world. A systematic literature review of 34 articles was conducted to characterize the use of GT4L in ICH. The review aimed to identify the ICH domains where GT4L is applied, the types of GT4L used, the target audiences, the technological aspects considered, the innovations integrated, and how learning styles and player typologies are incorporated. The findings indicate that GT4L is utilized across several ICH domains, including oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, and traditional craftsmanship. Most games are Serious Games in the genres of simulation of arts and sports, adventure, treasure, puzzle, trivia, and role-playing. The target audiences range from children to heritage professionals. The technologies employed include mobile applications, immersive virtual and augmented reality experiences, body-tracking, and 3D environments, all of which incorporate user-centered and participatory design methodologies. However, several innovative aspects are absent that could enhance the impact of these applications. These include the incorporation of accessibility criteria to ensure equitable access to games for all players, the implementation of recommender systems to guide choices based on user profiles, as well as considerations for different learning styles and player types, among others.
Comparing VR and AR in Cultural Heritage Active Learning: A Study Based on the Stimulus-Organism-Response Model and the Engagement Theory
(The Eurographics Association, 2025) Zhao, Jiayi; Liang, Jiachen; Li, Yue; Zhang, Cheng; Dong, Yiping; Campana, Stefano; Ferdani, Daniele; Graf, Holger; Guidi, Gabriele; Hegarty, Zackary; Pescarin, Sofia; Remondino, Fabio
With the rapid advancement of immersive technologies, Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) have emerged as powerful tools for enhancing cultural heritage experiences. These technologies offer opportunities to engage learners through interactive and rich content, transforming how cultural knowledge is disseminated and understood. In this study, we developed two systems - one in VR with a head-mounted display and the other in AR with a mobile device for cultural heritage exploration. By employing a comprehensive survey with 70 responses, we explored the determinants of active learning within two systems. The results showed that the effects of interactivity and content richness on active learning are mediated by cognitive engagement toward both VR and AR systems. Our findings contribute valuable insights to the field of technology-mediated learning and provide practical guidelines for optimizing immersive cultural heritage experiences through targeted design strategies, highlighting the potential gaps in content design optimization.
Designing Personalized Cultural Heritage Serious Games through Gamification, AI and Augmented Reality
(The Eurographics Association, 2025) Martusciello, Federico; Bucchiarone, Antonio; Muccini, Henry; Campana, Stefano; Ferdani, Daniele; Graf, Holger; Guidi, Gabriele; Hegarty, Zackary; Pescarin, Sofia; Remondino, Fabio
Digital technologies are transforming how cultural heritage is accessed, experienced, and preserved, but many applications remain static, lacking personalization and adaptivity. This paper introduces a modular reference architecture that underpins a serious game-based platform integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality (AR), and gamification to support personalized learning journeys in cultural heritage contexts. The system integrates adaptive learning pathways, meaningful gamification, and augmented reality to support user-centric engagement. AI-driven recommendations personalize the path of each visitor through path-based learning activities, adapting to individual behavior, preferences, and cognitive profiles. A conversational AI assistant and spatial AR overlays enhance narrative immersion and support situated learning. The architecture enables curators to create flexible, pedagogically informed content through an intuitive visual design interface. A preliminary prototype demonstrates the technical feasibility of the system and how the integration of AI, gamification, and augmented reality can support the development of inclusive, engaging, and educational cultural experiences for diverse audiences.
Digging through the Virtual Sand of Time: Development and Evaluation of Hetepheres Tomb VR
(The Eurographics Association, 2025) Körner, Kevin; Dreiling, Luca; Manuelian, Peter Der; Campana, Stefano; Ferdani, Daniele; Graf, Holger; Guidi, Gabriele; Hegarty, Zackary; Pescarin, Sofia; Remondino, Fabio
Less than 100 meters from the base of the Great Pyramid of Giza lies the tomb of Queen Hetepheres I. 2025 marks the 100th anniversary of its discovery, a milestone that is likely to draw renewed attention to this relatively unknown archaeological site. To share the story of the tomb's excavation and the mysteries surrounding it with a broader audience, we developed the virtual reality experience Hetepheres Tomb VR. In this paper, we present the didactic concept behind the experience, along with practical implementation strategies designed to ensure maximum user-friendliness and minimize motion sickness. To evaluate the effectiveness of these design choices, we conducted a user study, the results of which are discussed in detail. These findings also informed subsequent optimizations of the application. With this work, we aim to provide museum-related VR projects - particularly those in the conceptual phase - with insights into our development process. We hope to offer both guidance and inspiration for creating engaging, accessible virtual experiences. Hetepheres Tomb VR is currently available for free on Steam and the Meta Quest app store, making it suitable for use in educational settings and museum exhibitions.
Engaging History Through Play: The Potential of Digitally-Enhanced Tabletop Role Playing Games for Promoting Historical Empathy in Museums
(The Eurographics Association, 2025) Koutiva, Georgia; Servi, Katerina; Katifori, Akrivi; Petousi, Dimitra; Boile, Maria; Ioannidis, Yannis; Papoulias, Evangelos; Pichou, Myrsini; Tsitou, Foteini; Kitta, Elena; Savvani, Eirini; Fragkaki, Foteini; Campana, Stefano; Ferdani, Daniele; Graf, Holger; Guidi, Gabriele; Hegarty, Zackary; Pescarin, Sofia; Remondino, Fabio
In an era of rapidly advancing digital technologies and changing visitor expectations, museums face the ongoing challenge of making history engaging and accessible to diverse audiences, through encouraging active participation and emotional connections. In this study, we investigate the potential of digitally enhanced tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs), incorporating digital technologies such as virtual reality and other interactive media, in fostering historical empathy and learning within the museum setting. Thirteen museum educators with diverse professional backgrounds provided key insights into the objectives and challenges of museum educational programs and the potential use of role-playing activities in them. Results reveal their main challenge is balancing creativity, interactivity and emotional impact with practical constraints such as space, time, and limited resources. While digitally enhanced TTRPGs are seen as an effective tool for enabling active engagement with historical figures and events in immersive, participatory ways, there is a need for clear guidelines and adaptability in their design, to ensure alignment with both the goals of the museum and the diverse needs of history learners.
Engaging with History: Towards an Interactive Experience of the 1562 Auto de Fe of Maní (Yucatan, Mexico)
(The Eurographics Association, 2025) Alcalá, Antonio Rodríguez; Chuchiak, John F.; Ares, Zoraida Raimúndez; Rega, Maria Felicia; Erickson, Hans B.; León, Luis Díaz De; Campana, Stefano; Ferdani, Daniele; Graf, Holger; Guidi, Gabriele; Hegarty, Zackary; Pescarin, Sofia; Remondino, Fabio
This paper presents the latest developments of the project dedicated to the digital reconstruction of the 1562 Auto de Fe of Maní, a significant event of religious persecution and cultural conflict during the colonial period in Yucatán. Created by the Praeteritas Urbes team, the project uses 3D modeling, game engines, and photogrammetry to create an interactive, historically grounded experience. Furthermore, the project is now exploring the potential of gamification by using serious games as tools for engagement and education. By integrating game-like mechanics and interactive storytelling, the project not only offers insight into this historical event but also promotes digital heritage and cultural preservation from an ethical perspective, encouraging reflection on the complex dynamics of intercultural and religious conflicts inherent in colonialism.
Exploring and preserving Underwater Cultural Heritage through Play and Learning: the case study of CREAMARE
(The Eurographics Association, 2025) Bruno, Fabio; Cozza, Marco; Cozza, Alessandro; Isabella, Salvatore; Peluso, Raffaele; Cuia, Paola di; Silic, Ervin; Andreo, Felipe Cerezo; Pérez-Reverte, Carlota; Manglis, Angelos; Drouga, Vasiliki; Petrányi, Barna; Poulet, Daniel; Rotondo, Roberto; Davidde, Barbara; Campana, Stefano; Ferdani, Daniele; Graf, Holger; Guidi, Gabriele; Hegarty, Zackary; Pescarin, Sofia; Remondino, Fabio
Underwater Cultural Heritage (UCH) plays a crucial role in understanding and preserving our shared cultural past, yet it remains one of the most overlooked and under-communicated aspects of European heritage. Compounding this issue, the oceans, which house this irreplaceable heritage, face significant environmental threats, including pollution and climate change. The CREAMARE project aims to bridge these gaps by utilizing digital technologies to raise awareness about cultural heritage (CH) and environmental preservation, while fostering collaboration between the cultural and creative sectors. Through the development of a serious game (SG), CREAMARE project offers an immersive platform that educates players on the importance of preserving both underwater cultural sites and marine ecosystems. The game provides players with the opportunity to explore 3D digital replicas of nine real UCH sites in the Mediterranean, either provided by cultural institutions or digitally reconstructed through advanced underwater technologies such as photogrammetry. The game's design incorporates a strong narrative, guiding players through a first-person adventure in which they must overcome environmental challenges and solve puzzles related to UCH preservation and ecosystem health. The development of CREAMARE's SG exemplifies a cross-sectorial, collaborative framework, bringing together project partners with creative professionals and cultural institutions selected via open calls. This participatory approach ensured that the game was not only educational but also immersive, combining historical accuracy with environmental awareness. The player's mission involves solving real-world environmental issues, such as pollution and the removal of invasive species, while simultaneously learning about the history of the submerged locations. Through this engaging experience, the game aims to inspire action and foster a deeper understanding of the critical need to protect both cultural heritage and marine ecosystems. This paper focuses on the development and testing phases of the game, highlighting the analysis of feedback from stakeholders, including players, cultural institutions, and game developers, to optimize the game's design and educational impact.
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.
Female Rulers of Medieval Balkans - gamified VR experience
(The Eurographics Association, 2025) Rizvic, Selma; Mijatovic, Bojan; Boskovic, Dusanka; Zayat, Aya Ali Al; Grasar, Jelena Andjelkovic; Hoisin, Niall O; Ramic-Brkic, Belma; Durmisevic, Emir; Campana, Stefano; Ferdani, Daniele; Graf, Holger; Guidi, Gabriele; Hegarty, Zackary; Pescarin, Sofia; Remondino, Fabio
In this paper, we describe a gamified VR experience that aims to enable users to learn about the five queens of medieval Balkan countries through Advanced Interactive Digital Storytelling (A-IDS). We explore whether the use of gameplays can solve the narrative paradox problem by motivating users to learn historical information. VR educational game SHELeadersVR features queens telling stories in virtual reconstructions of locations where they used to live, and treasure hunt gameplays for digitized museum artifacts related to them. The AR application works at the locations of the queens' castles, presenting 3D reconstructions of the archaeological remains. User experience evaluation confirms the success of the implemented methodology in solving the mentioned research problem.
A historiographical method for video games. The proof of concept in the analysis of the game This War of Mine (11 bit studios) and its counterpart Sarajevo's Siege cultural heritage
(The Eurographics Association, 2025) Melo, José Júlio Schulz; Campana, Stefano; Ferdani, Daniele; Graf, Holger; Guidi, Gabriele; Hegarty, Zackary; Pescarin, Sofia; Remondino, Fabio
The present article aims to understand, in the context of the Siege of Sarajevo how civilians lived compared to journalists by using the game This War of Mine as a simulator. Combining historiographical methods and theories with simulation and modeling, game design, development and studies, the author proposes a new methodology to analyze games and produce knowledge natural to them. The goal is to bring simulation and games to historical methods and theories within an academic context. The object of study is the video game This War of Mine, developed by the Polish studio 11 bit studios in 2014, and its corresponding historical context, the Siege of Sarajevo. This article is based on the dissertation concluded by the author in 2025 [Mel25]. And the vast majority of the research is present there [Mel25].
Promoting Positive Attitudes Through Narrative-Driven Digital Heritage Games
(The Eurographics Association, 2025) Kolek, Lukáš; Šosvald, David; Flores, Fernanda; Halilovic, Jasminko; Campana, Stefano; Ferdani, Daniele; Graf, Holger; Guidi, Gabriele; Hegarty, Zackary; Pescarin, Sofia; Remondino, Fabio
Video games offer new ways to engage audiences with cultural heritage beyond traditional museum settings. However, can video games authentically replicate the narrative depth of museum experiences while promoting the positive attitudinal impacts museums seek to achieve? This study investigates whether a narrative-driven video game, We Grew Up in War, inspired by historical research and curatorial practice can positively influence players' attitudes towards the depicted topics. The game employs complementary multiperspectivity, a storytelling strategy that presents different but thematically aligned perspectives focused on the topics of refugees and migration. Using a pretest-posttest design with experimental and control groups (n = 116), we measured both explicit and implicit attitude changes. Results show that players who played the game exhibited significantly more positive explicit attitudes than those in the control group (d = 0.33, p = .037). Implicit attitudes did not significantly differ between groups. A more detailed analysis showed that there was a statistically significant change in players' affective responses between the pretest and posttest, whereas no such significant change was observed in the cognitive or behavioral components of explicit attitudes. Despite using a short prototype of the game (approx. 23 minutes), these findings suggest that video games can be effectively employed in promoting cultural heritage and attitude change to wide audiences across geographical boundaries.
A Serious Game Strategy from Coastal Leisure to Cultural Discovery of an Archaeological Museum. The "Ozan1982" Application.
(The Eurographics Association, 2025) Muci, Irene; Veggi, Manuele; Marasco, Alessandra; Bucciero, Alberto; Pescarin, Sofia; Spotti, Samuele; Campana, Stefano; Ferdani, Daniele; Graf, Holger; Guidi, Gabriele; Hegarty, Zackary; Pescarin, Sofia; Remondino, Fabio
This paper presents Ozan1982, a gamified experience aimed at engaging tourists with the New Archaeological Museum of Ugento and promoting the discovery of the surrounding territory. Developed through a collaboration between the Municipality of Ugento and the CNR-ISPC, the project leverages mobile technology, storytelling, and 3D-printed replicas of archaeological artifacts to foster cultural engagement. Tourists follow an interactive mystery narrative by scanning QR codes placed on colorful replicas along the sea-side, collecting clues that ultimately invite them to visit the museum. Pilot testing conducted at the TourismA event in Florence demonstrated positive results: the majority of users reported increased curiosity, a willingness to visit the museum, and a desire to recommend the experience.
Understanding User Experience in Serious Games: The Role of Narratives, Game Design and Player Background
(The Eurographics Association, 2025) Ntoa, Stavroula; Ntagianta, Anastasia; Flores, Fernanda; Halilovic, Jasminko; Kolek, Lukáš; Formánková, Lucie; Viraphong, Lisley; Divoy, Emilie; Cernoušková, Petra; Selekos, Petros; Apostolakis, Konstantinos C.; Stamou, Stefania; Stephanidis, Constantine; Campana, Stefano; Ferdani, Daniele; Graf, Holger; Guidi, Gabriele; Hegarty, Zackary; Pescarin, Sofia; Remondino, Fabio
This paper presents findings from three user studies conducted on digital heritage games designed to foster historical understanding and emotional engagement through immersive experiences. The evaluated games - We Grew Up in War, Those From Below, and Gulag Diaries - explore historical narratives related to conflict, migration, and forced labor. The studies involved small-scale participant groups from culturally relevant backgrounds, utilizing a mixed-methods approach comprising established game experience questionnaires, structured interviews, and facilitator observations. The results indicate that participants generally responded positively to the games, particularly appreciating their narrative depth, audiovisual design, and emotional impact. However, the studies also identified areas for improvement in terms of usability, navigation, and onboarding, especially given that the games tested were in their alpha stages. Notably, individual differences in prior gaming experience, familiarity with the technology used, and prior knowledge of the historical subject matter significantly influenced how participants engaged with and interpreted the content, while gender was also found to be a moderating factor of game experience. The findings presented in this paper offer useful insights and recommendations for digital heritage games, with an emphasis on improving user experience while maintaining historical authenticity, engaging narratives, and interactive storytelling.

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