Analyzing the educational design, use and effect of spatial games for cultural heritage: A literature review

Abstract

Integrating game-based approaches with learning constitutes a prevailing trend in education and training, applied in several domains, one of which is cultural heritage. The present paper attempts a literature review of such approaches developed in the cultural domain. It analyzes 34 games which intend to enable a physical or virtual interaction with a cultural place and its objects. The article focuses, first, on the game genres and game plots used to cope with cultural content and then it investigates the contexts of use in which games for culture are applied and the social relationships they create. Finally, given the need for a better understanding of games effectiveness for learning and training, we examine the reported outcomes of the reviewed games.