Practices and Considerations in the Design of Location-Based Games for Cultural Awareness

What is it about?

The overwhelming growth and popularity of mobile devices and games have motivated initiatives to explore mobile and augmented reality (AR) to bring the physical and virtual together. Particular importance has been placed on the cultural heritage (CH) field, with examples demonstrating the promise of location-based games (LBGs) at enhancing the CH experience aimed at promoting awareness. With limited research that explicitly identifies elements in creating these games in CH contexts, this work aimed to identify design practices and considerations in the design of LBGs.

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Why is it important?

Games like Pokémon GO have exacerbated the appeal of LBGs, showing that they can be as popular as blockbuster video games. However, as much potential as LBGs have in raising CH awareness, they can be challenging to build because, unlike their commercial counterparts, their primary aim is learning, emphasizing the cultural significance of the real-world location rather than augmented assets. A review—of serious heritage projects made up of a heterogeneous collection of historical engagements, to include research from experimental archaeological reconstructions and heritage sites—revealed 24 potential design practices and considerations. The findings can serve as a basis for subsequent investigations, with the design practices and considerations further refined, built upon, and expanded with factors that can contribute to favorable learning outcomes.

Perspectives