Post-Pandemic Heritage.Game Design Tools For An Engaging Experience
Author: Joan Ikonomi, Doriana Papa
Affiliation: Polis University
Abstract
Digitisation of heritage and the creation of open digital archive contribute in a large scale dissemination of history and culture. Today, technology allows us not only to easily access information on heritage and view 3D models of buildings or artefacts, but also to experience virtually historic sites or historic object, by representing them accurately, either referring to the recreation of exiting objects or rebuilding models of objects as they may have appeared in the past (Roussou, 2002). Moreover, digital heritage platforms allow visitors to navigate through virtual spaces and access information data, but still provide a low level of interactivity and immersion (Champion, 2008). By providing simple navigation they offer passive interaction and less engagement, while affords to navigate and have inputs to which to respond offer a more active mental interaction. However, what is missing is dynamic involvement of users and an engaging narrative. Although, digital models today are becoming more and more realistic representations of the physical objects and in general of the environment, they still lack a narrative which describes the intangible elements of cultural heritage, human attitude in this environment and simulates the cultural context. In order to guarantee an effective engagement with learning experience and offer better entertainment to a larger audience, other than conservators, historians and archaeologists, this study will introduce an interactive and immersive approach in heritage 3D platforms based on game design tools. The paper will explore frst the state of the art on virtual heritage worldwide and in particular applications in the case of Albanian heritage, highlighting the level of interactivity and user engagement. Then, interactive tools from video games will be analysed and discussed in view of their incorporation in virtual heritage platforms or serious games to make the dissemination of virtual heritage more interactive and immersive. In this sense, this study will discuss how to develop
interactive narrative for historical heritage based on interactivity and narration elements, how to develop an interactive story space and introduce player character as a view point in heritage exploration.
Reference List
Addison, A.C. (2000). Emerging Trends in Virtual Heritage. IEEE Multimedia, 7, 22-25;
Bellotti, F. et al. (2012). A Serious Game Model for Cultural Heritage. Journal on Computing and Cultural Heritage,5(4), 7:1-17:27. Available at: http://dl.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=2399185 [Accessed: 10 March 2021];
Champion, E. M. (2008). Otherness of Place: Game-based Interaction and Learning in Virtual Heritage Projects. International Journal of Heritage Studies, 14(3), 210-228. Available at: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13527250801953686 [Accessed: 10 March 2021];
Champion, E. et al. (2012). The Palenque project: evaluating interaction in an online virtual archaeology site. Virtual Reality, 16(2), 121-139. Available at: http://link.springer.com/ article/10.1007%2Fs10055-011-0191-0 [Accessed: 10 March 2021];
Chen, S. et al. (2013). A case study of user immersion-based systematic design for serious heritage games. Multimedia Tools and Applications, 62(3), 633-658. Available at: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11042-011-0864-4 [Accessed: 10 March 2021];
Cruz-Neira, C. (2003) Computational Humanities: The New Challenge for VR. IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications, 23(3), 10-13. Available at: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/login.
jsp?tp=&arnumber=1198257&url=http%3A%2F%2Fieeexplore.ieee.org%2Fxpls%2Fabs_all.jsp%3Farnumber%3D1198257 [Accessed: 10 March 2021];
Cunningham, P. A. (2010) The impact of media on cultural heritage: disruptive or synergistic?.Journal of Heritage Tourism, 5(3), 189-201. Available at: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1743873X.2010.505288 [Accessed: 12 March 2021];
Cyan (1997). Riven: The Sequel to Myst - User's Manual. Playing the Game (Windows version ed.). Broderbund. pp. 9–10.
Dylla, K., B. Frischer, P. Mueller, A. Ulmer and S. Haegler (2010). Rome Reborn 2.0: A Case Study of Virtual City Reconstruction Using Procedural Modeling Techniques. In: B. Frischer, J. Webb Crawford and D. Koller (eds.), Making History Interactive. Computer Applications and Quantitative
Methods in Archaeology (CAA). Proceedings of the 37th International Conference, Williamsburg, Virginia, United States of America, March 22-26 (BAR International Series S2079). Archaeopress, Oxford, 62-66;
Gabellone, F. (2009). Ancient contexts and virtual reality: From reconstructive study to the construction of knowledge models. Journal of Cultural Heritage, 10, e112-e117. Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S129620740900140X [Accessed: 12 March 2021];
Jacobsen, J., Holden, L. (2007). Virtual Heritage: Living in the Past. Techné: Research in Philosophy and Technology, 10(3), 55-61. Available at: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.103.8833 [Accessed: 10 March 2021];
Stone, R. et al. (2009). The Virtual Scylla: an exploration of serious games‘‘, artifcial life and simulation complexity. Virtual Reality, 13(1), 13-25. Available at: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10055-008-0111-0 [Accessed: 10 March 2021];
Inoue M. and Kirimura T., (2012) “Virtual Kyoto: Visualization of Historical City with 4dgis, Virtual Reality and Web Technologies”. The International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing
Laurel, B., Strickland, R., Tow, R. (1994). Placeholder: Landscape and Narrative In Virtual Environments. ACM Computer Graphics Quarterly, 28(2), 118–126;
Murray, J. (1997). Hamlet on the Holodeck: The Future of Narrative in Cyberspace. New York: The Free Press;
Roussou, M. (2002). Virtual Heritage: From the Research Lab to the Broad Public. Virtual Archaeology: Proceedings of the VAST 2000 Euroconference, 93-100. Available at: http://www.makebelieve.gr/mr/www/mr_publications.html [Accessed: 8 March 2021];
Ryan, M.L. (1991). Possible Worlds, Artifcial Intelligence, and Narrative Theory. Bloomington: Indiana UP;
Roussou, M. (2007). The components of engagement in virtual heritage environents. London: Routledge;
Maietti, F et al (2018) Enhancing Heritage fruition through 3D semantic modelling and digital tools: the INCEPTION project, IOP Conf. Ser.: Mater. Sci. Eng. 364 012089;
Maietti, F et al (2018). Accessing and Understanding Cultural Heritage Through Users Experience Within the INCEPTION Project. Digital Heritage Progress in Cultural Heritage: Documentation, Preservation, and Protection, 7th International Conference, EuroMed 2018 Nicosia, Cyprus, October 29 – November 3, 2018 Proceedings, Part I, Springer Techné: Research in Philosophy and Technology
Nitsche, M. and Roudavski, S. (2003). Drama and context in real-time virtual environments: use of pre-scripted events as a part of an interactive spatial mediation framework, in S. Göbel, et al. (eds.), Proc. TIDSE Conference. Stuttgart: Fraunhofer IRB Verlag, 296–310;
Pescarin, S., Palombini, A. at al (2009). Virtual Roma. Conference: CAA 2009, At: Williamsburg, VA;
Sanders, D (2012). A brief history of Virtual heritage. Picturing the past imaging and imagining the ancient Middle East Conference, University of Chicago;
Takase,Y. Yano, K., Nakaya, T. Isoda, Y. Kawasumi , T. Matsuoka , K. Seto , T. Kawahara , D. Tsukamoto , A. Yang, C., Peng, D. and Sun, S. (2006). Creating a Virtual Activity for the Intangible Culture Heritage. 16th International Conference on Artifcial Reality and Telexistence-Workshops, ICAT’06, 636-
41;
Tanasi, D.,Gabellone, F., (2013), 'Siracusa 3d reborn': An ancient Greek city brought back to life. Conference: Proceedings of the 6th International Congress on Science and Technology for the Safeguard of Cultural Heritage in the Mediterranean Basin, Athens, Greece 22 - 25 October 2013;
Tonta, Y (2008). Libraries and Museums in the Flat World: Are They Becoming Virtual Destinations? Library Collections, Acquisitions and Technical Services, 2008, vol. 32. (Source: http://eprints.rclis.org/11893/) ( Accessed online on 30.04.2021).
