e-ISSN 2724-3923
magazén
Vol. 2 – Num. 1 – June 2021
119
Ci a ion Ma io i, S. (2021). “The Use o Se ious Games as an Educa ional and
Dissemina ion Tool o A chaeological He i age. Po en ial and Challenges o
he Fu u e”. magazén, 2(1), 119-138.
DOI 10.30687/mag/2724-3923/2021/03/005
Pee e iew
Submi ed 2021-01-13
Accep ed 2021-05-05
Published 2021-06-30
Open access
©2021 | cb C ea i e Commons A ibu ion 4.0 In e na ional Public License
Edizioni
Ca’Fosca i
Edizioni
Ca’Fosca i
The Use o Se ious Games
as an Educa ional and Dissemina ion
Tool o A chaeological He i age
Po en ial and Challenges
o he Fu u e
Saman a Ma io i
Uni e si à di Siena, I alia
Abs ac In he las decades, digi al echnologies ha e pe aded e e y aspec o
he p oduc ion o a chaeological knowledge and hey ha e been massi ely used o
communica e he pas . This con ibu ion analyses he po en ial and bene i s o se ious
games as hey appea a p omising ool o engaging he use s in ac i e lea ning o cul-
u al con en s, o a ac ing new audiences and p omo ing knowledge and awa eness
a ound a chaeological he i age. Mo eo e , he need o mul idisciplina y collabo a ions
be ween a chaeologis s and de elope s and he necessi y o assessmen s udies on
lea ning le els o implemen hei e ec i eness will be highligh ed.
Keywo ds A chaeology. Digi al echnologies. Game-based lea ning. Edu ainmen .
Se ious games. He i age enhancemen . Public engagemen .
Summa y 1 In oduc ion. – 2 Digi al Games as Educa ional and Engaging Tools. –
3 Gami ying he Pas : an I alian Pe spec i e. – 4 Se ious Games & A chaeology: Po en ial and
Bene i s. – 4.1 Educa ion and Lea ning. – 4.2 Public Engagemen . – 4.3 Tou is ic Ou comes.
– 5 Fu u e Challenges: Assessing A chaeological Se ious Games. – 6 Conclusions.
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1 In oduc ion
In ecen decades, digi al echnologies ha e pe aded e e y aspec
o he p oduc ion o a chaeological knowledge, om da a collec ion
o hei analysis and in e p e a ion, o in e ac ion wi h he public
(Hugge 2019; Mo gan 2019). A chaeologis s ha e been expe imen -
ing wi h digi al da a o a long ime. The main eason o his “cu i-
osi y” is he na u e o he cogni i e p ocess ela ed o he discipline:
he s a ig aphic exca a ion me hod, in ac , equi es he des uc-
ion o s a ig aphy, hence he impo ance o acking he in o ma-
ion ob ained o eco e and in e p e any da a e en a e a long ime.
Mo eo e , he a chaeological eco d is o en di icul o ead and o
explain o a non-specialis . Digi al echnologies ha e been helping
a chaeologis s o ill he communica ion gap be ween he aces o
he pas and hei po en ial audiences, a necessi y ha has gained
mo e and mo e impo ance h ough he yea s. Uni e si y cou ses on
digi al echnologies, 3D modelling, o compu e simula ion – o name
jus a ew – which un il a ew yea s ago we e conside ed niche, a e
g adually included in a g owing numbe o unde g adua e and pos -
g adua e a chaeology cu icula. A he same ime, as 3D and in e ac
-
i e echnologies a e becoming e e mo e a o dable, a p oli e a ion
o digi al ools, anging om i ual and augmen ed eali y applica-
ions and in e ac i e displays o mobile apps, ha e been made a ail-
able o he communica ion o he pas in museums and ia he in-
e ne (Hageneue , Schmid 2020).
A he same ime, o e he las ew yea s, he use o new ech-
nologies has g own exponen ially, pe mea ing e e y aspec o e e-
ybody’s li es. I has consequen ly also a ec ed he way di e en
communi ies a ound he wo ld expe ience he i age. People a e in-
c easingly encoun e ing si es and monumen s and lea ning abou
he pas h ough digi al media, in he o m o i ual econs uc-
ions, digi al ep esen a ion o a e ac s, online ideos, and so on (Bo-
nacchi 2017). This is pa icula ly he case o younge gene a ions,
whose i s expe ience o cul u al he i age is o en h ough a digi-
al su oga e ha shapes hei unde s anding and pe cep ion (Sha-
pi o 2018). The expansion o Web 2.0, he inc easing use o sma -
phones, and he demand o almos cons an access o he In e ne
also mean ha social in e ac ion wi h o he isi o s o s a a he i -
age si es, as well as ace‐ o‐ ace discussions abou he i age, a e in-
c easingly ans e ed o he digi al space. Digi al media in all i s di -
e en o ms, such as he mul i ude o social ne wo king ools ha
Web 2.0 encompasses (including blogs, podcas s, RSS eeds, YouTube,
Facebook, Ins ag am, Twi ch e c.), he mobile apps designed o in-
di idual use, i ual eali y, digi al collec ions, and in e ac i e kiosk
applica ions in exhibi ions, all ha e been o e ing new possibili ies
o he i age o ganiza ions o in e ac wi h hei public (Boom e al.
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2020). Mo eo e , he inc easing con enience o 3D and in e ac i e
echnologies has led o a p oli e a ion o digi al ools (VR, AR, mo-
bile applica ions), used o communica e he pas . He i age ins i u-
ions ha e been expe imen ing wi h hese ools o qui e some ime
as pa o hei e o s a g ea e democ a iza ion, opening up o di-
e se communi ies and in i ing di e en iewpoin s and in e p e-
a ions o hei si es and collec ions. Bu ha e hese hopes ac ually
ma e ialized in p ac ice? As Economou (2015, 224) a gues, he i -
age digi iza ion p og ams a e c ea ing digi al esou ces which con-
s i u e he building blocks o esea ch, lea ning, managemen , cul-
u al ou ism, and he gene al unde s anding and app ecia ion o
he i age. These digi al esou ces a e o en used o c ea e in e p e-
a i e and “edu ainmen ” applica ions ela ed o he i age. Howe e ,
i is no he ools o he digi al asse s hemsel es which a e causing
conce ns, bu a he he use ha hese a e being pu o. Who is p o-
ducing hem and owa ds wha means? In wha way a e hese being
used and by whom? A e hey ac ually e ec i e and engaging? O he
schola s (Mo a a e al. 2014) ha e aised he same ques ions. They
a gued ha al hough hey may be help ul o allow he gene al public
o app ecia e “ emo e” (in space and ime) cul u al con en h ough
an imme si e expe ience, hese applica ions s ill lack a powe ul
mechanism o engage he la ge public in o an ac i e s a e o las ing
commi men and lea ning whe e spec a o s a e mo i a ed o c ea e
hei own knowledge a he han o ecei e in o ma ion passi ely.1
Con e sely, such engagemen is e iden in compu e games p o id-
ing amusing and compelling expe iences, which keep he playe o-
cused o long-las ing sessions. Fo his eason, games wi h educa-
ional pu poses – namely se ious games (Dö ne e al. 2016) – ha e
become mo e and mo e popula and hey a e s a ing o ge ecog-
ni ion e en om academics and cul u al ins i u ions2 o hose coun-
ies – he I alian case will be analysed mo e in de ail – whe e he
ocus on uni e si y-based cou sewa e in he his o ical and a chaeo-
logical domain has emained qui e en enched.
Suppo ing he playe o achie e lea ning a ge s h ough a play-
ul expe ience is he objec i e and main ea u e o a se ious game.
Thus, he design p ocess o a se ious game di e s om he one o a
1 Many au ho s (see Champion 2017, 26 and epo ed e e ences) also a gue ha AR
and VR ha e se e al use limi a ions: hey can equi e ex a and special de ices (3D
glasses, speci ic sys em ea u es), and he use is ypically es ic ed o ce ain ypes
o online b owse s, ope a ing sys ems, and pla o ms. Mo eo e , hey con ain oo much
da a o many people o download, and walk h ough, especially on po able de ices
(sma phones and able s).
2 Fo a ecen analysis on he changing p ac ices o cul u al ins i u ions which a e
inc easingly in ol ed in he p oduc ion o se ious games, conside ing hem as s a e-
gic digi al ma ke ing ools o p omo e cul u al he i age, see Bonacini, Giaccone 2021.
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common e-lea ning applica ion since an in insic balance be ween
lea ning and gaming should be ound. Indeed, he lea ning con en
in a se ious game has a p edominan ole in he game-play, bu he
game in e ac ions and mechanics should no simply be a play ul lay-
e added a op a digi al lea ning ool.
This pape aims a p esen ing se ious games as a p omising ool
o p omo ing and engagingly lea ning cul u al con en s, a ac ing
new audiences and encou aging knowledge and awa eness on a chae-
ological he i age. The po en ial bene i s o his ool will be analyzed
and he ole o a chaeologis s in he p ocess o c ea ing a chaeolog-
ical se ious games will be s essed. The aim is o unde line he need
o a digi al con en ha goes beyond he me e digi aliza ion o he
exis en and i s simple p esen a ion in a di e en o m (jus mo e eye-
ca ching) ha adds no hing. The challenge o he u u e is he ex-
ploi a ion o ools ha can p omo e he c ea ion o awa eness, las ing
engagemen , and c i ical knowledge s a ing om a speci ic and sci-
en i ically alida ed cul u al con en (Wa all 2002); ha ’s why his
pape is speci ically add essed o a chaeologis s in e es ed in he
use o o iginal means o make he pas ele an o he p esen : a -
chaeological expe ise shall be a c ucial asse in his a ea and i can
de e mine a whole bunch o p o essional possibili ies o e he com-
ing yea s. Besides, his in en is consis en wi h he mos ecen and
signi ican Eu opean con en ions and documen s conce ning cul u al
he i age sus ainable de elopmen (Council o Eu ope 2005, Council
o he Eu opean Union 2014) and wi h he deepes in en connec ed
wi h he widesp ead o digi al and sus ainabili y aspec s in Public
A chaeology p ojec s (Bollwe k 2015; Gould 2018).
2 Digi al Games as Educa ional and Engaging Tools
Gami ica ion is de ined as “ he use o game design elemen s in non-
game con ex s” (De e ding e al. 2011, 10). Ano he de ini ion de-
sc ibes i as “ he p ocess o game- hinking and game mechanics o
engage use s and sol e p oblems” (Ziche mann, Cunningham 2011,
XIV). The e a e many o he aligned e ms o gami ica ion, such as
p oduc i i y games, su eillance en e ainmen , play ul design, be-
ha io al games, game laye , and applied gaming; howe e , gami ica-
ion is he e m ha is widely accep ed in ela ed li e a u e (Bozku ,
Du ak 2018). Though i was i s used o ma ke ing pu poses, i has
been used in ela ion o many issues – he pe asi eness and ubiqui-
y o compu e and ideo games in e e yday li e; he need o a ouse
and main ain s uden s’ in e es in lea ning – o in ol e use s and en-
cou age hem o achie e mo e ambi ious goals, ollowing ules and
ha ing un. The basic pu pose o using gami ica ion is o inc ease us-
e s’ mo i a ion o p o ide mo e e ec i e, e icien , engaging, endu -
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ing and en e aining expe iences. In o he wo ds, he main goal o
gami ica ion is o keep he use s, ha is o say, playe s, in he game.
The p ocess o mode n educa ion akes place in he apid g ow h
in olume o new in o ma ion, which is so apidly becoming obsole e
ha s uden s ha e no ime o acqui e he necessa y use ul knowledge
bu gained quickly loses hei ele ance. Rapidly de eloping echnol-
ogies acili a e new leisu e ac i i ies, and ime o ob aining in o ma-
ion becomes smalle o e e yone. Also, he cogni i e p ocess is no
equi ed o ake place in he o mal (and o en bo ing) en i onmen
and can u n in o wholesome en e ainmen , wi h he acquisi ion o
knowledge a he same ime. Edu ainmen is a ea u e o echnolog-
ical implemen a ion o mode n o ms o en e ainmen in adi ional
lec u es, lessons, classes, wo kshops and mas e classes. Wi hou el-
e ision p og ams, desk op, compu e and ideo games, mo ies, mu-
sic, web si es, mul imedia so wa e is al eady impossible o imagine
mode n aining and communica ion. Classes and ac i i ies held in
he o ma o he echnology edu ainmen can be conduc ed in ca-
es, pa ks, museums, o ices, whe e e you can ob ain in o ma ion
on any in o ma i e opic in a elaxed a mosphe e. Cu en ly, in edu-
ca ion, he e is a ansi ion o mo e in e ac i e, engaging, and expe-
ien ial lea ning me hods in which also emo ions play a undamen al
pa . Acco ding o Buckingham and Scanlon (2005), edu ainmen is
“a hyb id gen e ha elies hea ily on isual ma e ial, on na a i e o
game-like o ma s compu e games-educa ion-implica ions o game
de elope s and mo e in o mal, less didac ic s yles o add ess”. Edu-
ainmen is he ac o lea ning hea ily h ough any o a ious me-
dia such as ele ision p og ams, ideo games, ilms, music, mul ime-
dia, websi es and compu e so wa e. Mo eo e , he impo ance o
ins umen -media ed ac i i y h ough he use o edu ainmen en i-
onmen s is consis en wi h he lea ning heo ies de i ed om Pia-
ge (1962) wo ks ocused on cogni i e de elopmen .
The use o games and ideo games as lea ning ools, known as
game-based lea ning, is no a ecen inno a ion, bu i has been gain-
ing p ominence in ecen decades.
3
Game-based lea ning has as-
sumed g ea e in e es since he beginning o he cen u y wi h he
In e ne and he Wo ld Wide Web and, mo e ecen ly, wi h he pa -
adigm o Web 2.0 and social ne wo ks. Video games a e popula
among younge gene a ions, designa ed by some as “digi al na i es”
(P ensky 2001). Fo hem, all hese echnologies always exis ed and
a e used as some hing ha was always pa o hei li es. Mo eo e ,
all he esea che s ell us ha kids lea n hings h ough play: hey
lea n o in e ac wi h each o he , o ollow ules, he execu i e unc-
3 An ex ensi e bibliog aphy and some o he mos signi ican con ibu ions a e dis-
cussed and summa ised in Saile e al. 2017.
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ions and p oblem-sol ing skills. Video games a e success ul because
hey seem o add ess oday’s app oaches o challenges and a e con-
sis en wi h he needs o ou ime (Shapi o 2018; Ma io i, Ma o a
2020; Singh 2021).
Acco ding o he las epo s sha ed by he En e ainmen So -
wa e Associa ion, 2020 was a eco d-b eaking yea o he US indus-
y, wi h o al ideo game sales exceeding $57 billion. O e 214 mil-
lion adul s in he Uni ed S a es play ideo games, and h ee-qua e s
o all Ame icans ha e a leas one game in hei household (En e -
ainmen So wa e Associa ion 2020). Things a e no e y di e en
i we ocus on Eu ope: he size o he Eu opean ideo gaming indus-
y eached € 21.6 billion in 2020 (In e ac i e So wa e Fede a ion
o Eu ope 2020). Acco ding o he mos ecen epo (I alian In e -
ac i e Digi al En e ainmen Associa ion 2020), I alian ends mi -
o hese g ow h o ecas s: in 2020 he indus y u no e (including
physical and digi al ha dwa e and so wa e) was € 2.179 billion wi h
an excep ional g ow h o 21.9% compa ed o 2019. Ano he e y in-
e es ing ac e ealed by he epo is ela ed o he p o ile o I al-
ian game s: 16.7 million people played ideo games in 2020, meaning
38% o he I alian popula ion be ween 6 and 64 yea s. F om a gen-
de pe spec i e, a qui e simila p opo ion o men (56%) and wom-
en (44%) is also a es ed. The age g oups o 15-24 and 45-64 a e he
mos ep esen ed, ollowed by he ange 25-34. In gene al, we can
obse e ha he di usion o ideo games is qui e uni o m and ano h-
e e y in e es ing da a comes om he 6-14 ange wi h an a e age
o 10% o he o al (conside ing bo h boys and gi ls as he di e ence
be ween hem is almos inconsis en ). I appea s qui e ob ious ha ,
also due o he COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 ma ked a eco d in he use
o digi al con en . A e y ecen su ey (C ea i e Keys 2020) shows
ha , du ing he lockdown, ideo games we e amongs he ools cul-
u al ins i u ions used o engage wi h hei public. Acco ding o he
su ey, people who played se ious games linked o a cul u al ins i-
u ion s a ed ha : hey ha e he pe cep ion o ha ing lea n some-
hing (78%), hey enjoyed ha ime (85.8%), hey we e encou aged o
y o he digi al games wi h cul u al con en (81.1%), and mo e han
hal o hem (54.4%) con i med hei willingness o isi hose si es
o museums in he u u e.
3 Gami ying he Pas : an I alian Pe spec i e
In his global con ex , ano he in e es ing piece o da a eme ges: in
ac , a b ie pe usal o ideo games’ con en also e eals hemes ha
o en inco po a e a chaeological con en , some imes highly accu a e,
o he imes (mos equen ly) no so much (Ch is ensen, Machado
2010). As Wa all (2002) a gues, a chaeological con en has been o -
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en used as a igge ing subjec bu a chaeologically inspi ed in e -
ac i e en e ainmen i les a e o en an ou le o some o he wo s
kinds o pseudo-a chaeological ideas (e.g. Tomb Raide se ies).
In he las decades, wi h he inc easingly widesp ead use o ad-
anced pe sonal de ice echnology such as sma phones and ab-
le s and hanks o b oadband in e ne access, he numbe o mul i-
media p oduc s de eloped wi hin he a chaeological communi y has
ce ainly inc eased. Howe e , he ocus on pee - o-pee communica-
ion and uni e si y-based cou sewa e has emained qui e en enched
un il ecen ly. A chaeologis s a ely e e conside ed exclusi ely a -
ge ing hei in e ac i e media owa ds he comme cial ma ke . As a
esul , he inc easing public desi e o sensa ional ep esen a ions
o he human pas has been la gely ul illed by comme cial in e ac-
i e media p oduce s who a ely ha e anywhe e nea he le el o ex-
pe ise necessa y o p oduce i les ha con o m o he high con en
s anda ds a chaeologis s desi e and a chaeology dese es. While, in
a global pe spec i e, se ious games, edu ainmen , and gami ica ion
ha e been well-known concep s and many museums ha e been us-
ing digi al play ul ac i i ies o a long ime, an inc easing emphasis
on hese aspec s is qui e e iden in he las yea s, especially in I a-
ly whe e a ce ain esis ance among he academics was s ill s ong,
wi h mo e and mo e a chaeologis s who ha e inally pu hei p e-
concep ions aside and s a ed conside ing ideo games as a use ul
ool o hei objec i es (Ma io i 2020a). The ecen de elopmen o
ins i u ionalized public a chaeology p og ams in I aly has had he
po en ial no only o ace he in e ac i e en e ainmen indus y’s in-
c easing enc oachmen in o a chaeology, bu also o change he sen-
imen s ha many I alian a chaeologis s hold owa d in e ac i e en-
e ainmen . I is no a coincidence ha ideo games a e a g owing
conce n in global academic esea ch in he a chaeological ield and
p esen a conside able a ac ion o a chaeologis s who wish o p e-
sen hei esea ch in a media o ma ha can inco po a e mul iple
pe spec i es, al e na i e na a i es, and 3D ep esen a ion o audi-
ences ha may no be engaged wi h o he o ms o academic li e a-
u e o media ega ding a chaeology.4
In he las yea s, se ious games in he a chaeological he i age do-
main in I aly ha e ecei ed mo e and mo e a en ion, gaining he in-
e es o museum ins i u ions, academics, and local adminis a ions.
They appea in a wide a ie y o o ms spanning om i ia, puzzles
and mini-games (e.g. Time Tales – The E uscans, a se ious game o
child en designed by wo a chaeologis s (Ma io i, Ma o a 2020) in
collabo a ion wi h a se ious games company, En e ainmen Game
4 Some o he mos signi ican con ibu ions in he ield a e Champion 2011; Mol e al.
2017; Reinha d 2018; Poli opoulos e al. 2019; Hageneue 2020; Pesca in 2020.
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Apps L d.), o engage in in e ac i e exhibi ions/ isi (e.g. In en um
(2018), a 3D applica ion in AR o enhance he A chaeological Pa k
o Venosa, Po enza) o mobile applica ions o museums o ou is ic
si es isi s mo i a ed by some ewa d/engagemen mechanism (e.g.
Mi Rasna, de eloped by En e ainmen Game Apps L d. and dedica -
ed o he E uscan ci iliza ion (Amo oso 2020); Medi e anean de el-
oped by he same socie y as pa o an Eu opean p ojec dedica ed
o he Phoenician ci iliza ion; Fa he and Son (Solima 2018) c ea ed
by Tuo Museo o he A chaeological Museum o Naples; Beyond Ou
Li es an ad en u e game by Tuo Museo o p omo e he main ancien
E uscan ci ies in Tuscany), o simula ions o pas e en s (e.g. Di en-
diamo le Mu a based on he siege o he ci y o Paes um by Alexan-
de Molossus and un il ecen ly a ailable inside he local a chaeo-
logical museum) o ad en u es se in ai h ul econs uc ions and/o
digi al coun e pa s o eal si es (e.g. A Nigh in The Fo um (Fe da-
ni e al. 2020; Pesca in e al. 2020), a 3D ideo game o PlayS a ion
VR c ea ed by VRTRON in collabo a ion wi h I alian CNR and se in
he Fo um o Augus us, one o he Impe ial o a o Rome; an ongo-
ing 3D p ojec (Ma io i 2020b) dedica ed o he Pa k and A chaeo-
logical Open Ai Museum o Poggibonsi, Siena and o he medie al
phases o he si e disco e ed by a chaeologis s.
Gene ally speaking, a p oli e a ion o ideo games p ojec s con-
nec ed wi h he i age si es, museums and ins i u ions can be obse ed
in he las ew yea s. This encou aging igu e, howe e , mus be e al-
ua ed ca e ully: he isk is ha os e ing he c ea ion o a se ious
game is educed o he end o he momen and ha o an inc easing
numbe o p ojec s does no co espond an equally high le el o qual-
i y and ele ance. Quali y s anda ds in e ms o con en , game de-
sign and objec i es should be always espec ed and assessed wisely.
4 Se ious Games & A chaeology: Po en ial and Bene i s
While, in he las decades, we ha e wi nessed he in oduc ion o se-
ious games o suppo cul u al he i age pu poses, such as his o -
ical eaching and lea ning, o o enhance a chaeological si es and
museum isi s, he inc easing emphasis on and eye o he oppo uni-
y o his in he las yea s – especially in I aly – is beyond any doub .
The main eason is ha his ool has he po en ial o be e y adap-
i e and o allow a wide ange o possibili ies. These bene i s can be
classi ied in o h ee di e en g oups (wi h many spaces o in e ac-
ion): educa ion, public ou each and audience engagemen , and ou -
is ic de elopmen .
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4.1 Educa ion and Lea ning
The popula i y o ideo games, especially among younge people,
makes hem an ideal medium o educa ional pu poses. Se ious games
can p o ide playe engagemen by c ea ing a un expe ience o use s
while also suppo ing hem o achie e lea ning objec i es. Tha is why
games can also aid in amilia izing young people and adul s wi h spe-
ci ic cul u al he i age opics, such as ancien his o y o a chaeology,
and signi ican ly inc ease hei in e es le els and engagemen (Mo -
a a e al. 2014). Suppo ing he playe o achie e lea ning a ge s
h ough a un expe ience is he objec i e and main ea u e o a se ious
game. The un aspec o a se ious game p o ides engagemen and can
be de e mined by se e al ac o s like s o yboa d, g aphics, usabili y,
collabo a ion/compe i ion mechanisms, and in e ac ion de ices (Ma -
io i, Ma o a 2020). The lea ning aspec implemen s a pedagogical
app oach, by s uc u ing he educa ional con en and o ganizing i s
p esen a ion (Capde ila Ibáñez e al. 2011). An appealing and mean-
ing ul en i onmen , a compelling na a i e, and a sui ed and in ui i e
in e ac ion pa adigm a e he h ee main elemen s o c ea e engage-
men . Mo eo e , se ious games o cul u al he i age seem pa icu-
la ly sui ed o he a ec i e domain. Empa hy wi h a game cha ac e
and plo may be e y help ul o unde s and his o ical e en s, di e -
en ancien cul u es, o he people’s eelings, p oblems, and beha io s,
on he one hand, and he beau y and alue o he pas , a chi ec u e,
a , and he i age, on he o he one. This pe suasi e app oach should
be combined wi h he igou o he scien i ic me hod, which is a bal-
ance no easy o achie e, no only in games. As poin ed ou by Mo a-
a e al. (2014), ad en u e games a e pa icula ly sui ed o implemen
he “lea ning by doing” app oach (Dewey 1938), which is ela ed o
he cons uc i ism heo y, whe e he playe lea ns by cons uc ing
knowledge while doing a meaning ul ac i i y. In his app oach o ed-
uca ion, he lea ne does no passi ely ecei e in o ma ion – as in a
simple explana ion, a panel o a i ual econs uc ion al hough ac-
companied by a desc ip ion – bu a he ac i ely cons uc s new know-
ledge by inding in o ma ion in he game, unde s anding i , and hen
applying he new knowledge o ul il asks (Boyan, She y 2011). As
unde lined in F oschaue (2012), playe s emembe mo e he know-
ledge ela ed o ask comple ion han in o ma ion di ec ly p o ided
by he game, no o men ion ha simply esponding o di ec ins uc-
ions would no be un a all.
Mo eo e , se ious games allow a pe sonalized app oach o lea n-
ing: excep o games loca ed in exhibi ions o designed as mobile ap-
plica ions o augmen ed isi s, all he o he games can be consumed
a home o school, o bo h; a game can e en be played pa ially a
school, in small g oups and wi h he suppo o he eache , and pa -
ially a home o example as a ool o e iew he acqui ed knowledge.
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6 Conclusions
Se ious games a e an acknowledged ool o se e al pu poses and
amongs his ange o possibili ies, hey can mee a chaeological aims
and so, ep esen an ex ao dina y medium o a chaeological he i -
age dissemina ion and enhancemen . Fi s o all, hey a e a po en ial
o public ou each and educa ion, because hey can s ongly mo i-
a e lea ne s and c ea e awa eness abou a opic. They can also p o-
ide imme si e en i onmen s whe e a la ge a ie y o use s can p ac-
ice knowledge and skills, and inally, hey can be used as an asse o
p omo e ou ism and sus ainable cul u al he i age de elopmen . The
design o a se ious game, by i s na u e, equi es he i e a i e collab-
o a ion o a ious expe s wi h speci ic compe encies and skills: edu-
ca o s, a di ec o s, game designe s, sc ip w i e s, so wa e de el-
ope s, g aphic and sound designe s. Addi ionally, a se ious game in
he a chaeological he i age ield canno igno e he domain expe s
who selec he educa ional con en s and p o ide scien i ic alidi y and
eliabili y. This eamwo k aims a p e en ing he p ojec om being
jus a game wi h an ex a laye o pedagogical and pseudo-a chaeo-
logical con en . The e needs o be a new b eed o a chaeologis s who
ake an ac i e pa icipa o y ole, as consul an s, de elope s, and w i
-
e s. This is an e hical esponsibili y bu also a e y s imula ing pos-
sibili y o a chaeologis s who a e in e es ed in explo ing new ways
o engage he public, sha e hei esea ch and p omo e a chaeolog-
ical si es and knowledge: ac ually, his kind o new in e disciplina y
p o essional p o iles can ake up he challenge and, h ough se ious
games, c ea e a b and new se o oppo uni ies o p o essionals and
cul u al and a chaeological he i age (Ma io i 2020a).
Howe e , o se ious games o be conside ed a iable educa ional
ool, hey mus p o ide some means o es ing and p og ess ack-
ing. As Ke in Co i o PIXELea ning s a ed (Michael, Chen 2005).
Again, a chaeologis s mus ake ca e o his issue in collabo a ion
wi h o he p o essionals. This will inc ease e iciency in designing
games and au ho ing con en s, which is a key equi emen o he
se ious game indus y. By doing so, a chaeologis s can also ge he
chance o explo e how and why c ea ing and communica ing h ough
se ious games migh p o ide powe ul new ways o hink abou , do,
and p esen he pas .
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