The Use of Serious Games as an Educational and Dissemination Tool for Archaeological Heritage Potential and Challenges for the Future

e-ISSN 2724-3923 magazén Vol. 2 – Num. 1 – June 2021 119 Citation Mariotti, S. (2021). “The Use of Serious Games as an Educational and Dissemination Tool for Archaeological Heritage. Potential and Challenges for the Future”. magazén, 2(1), 119-138. DOI 10.30687/mag/2724-3923/2021/03/005 Peer review Submitted 2021-01-13 Accepted 2021-05-05 Published 2021-06-30 Open access ©2021 | cb Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License Edizioni Ca’Foscari Edizioni Ca’Foscari The Use of Serious Games as an Educational and Dissemination Tool for Archaeological Heritage Potential and Challenges for the Future Samanta Mariotti Università di Siena, Italia Abstract In the last decades, digital technologies have pervaded every aspect of the production of archaeological knowledge and they have been massively used to communicate the past. This contribution analyses the potential and benefits of serious games as they appear a promising tool for engaging the users in active learning of cultural contents, for attracting new audiences and promoting knowledge and awareness around archaeological heritage. Moreover, the need for multidisciplinary collaborations between archaeologists and developers and the necessity of assessment studies on learning levels to implement their effectiveness will be highlighted. Keywords Archaeology. Digital technologies. Game-based learning. Edutainment. Serious games. Heritage enhancement. Public engagement. Summary 1 Introduction. – 2 Digital Games as Educational and Engaging Tools. – 3 Gamifying the Past: an Italian Perspective. – 4 Serious Games & Archaeology: Potential and Benefits. – 4.1 Education and Learning. – 4.2 Public Engagement. – 4.3 Touristic Outcomes. – 5 Future Challenges: Assessing Archaeological Serious Games. – 6 Conclusions. magazén e-ISSN 2724-3923 2, 1, 2021, 119-138 120 1 Introduction In recent decades, digital technologies have pervaded every aspect of the production of archaeological knowledge, from data collection to their analysis and interpretation, to interaction with the public (Hugget 2019; Morgan 2019). Archaeologists have been experimenting with digital data for a long time. The main reason for this “curiosity” is the nature of the cognitive process related to the discipline: the stratigraphic excavation method, in fact, requires the destruction of stratigraphy, hence the importance of tracking the information obtained to recover and interpret any data even after a long time. Moreover, the archaeological record is often difficult to read and to explain to a non-specialist. Digital technologies have been helping archaeologists to fill the communication gap between the traces of the past and their potential audiences, a necessity that has gained more and more importance through the years. University courses on digital technologies, 3D modelling, or computer simulation – to name just a few – which until a few years ago were considered niche, are gradually included in a growing number of undergraduate and postgraduate archaeology curricula. At the same time, as 3D and interac - tive technologies are becoming ever more affordable, a proliferation of digital tools, ranging from virtual and augmented reality applications and interactive displays to mobile apps, have been made available for the communication of the past in museums and via the internet (Hageneuer, Schmidt 2020). At the same time, over the last few years, the use of new technologies has grown exponentially, permeating every aspect of everybody’s lives. It has consequently also affected the way different communities around the world experience heritage. People are increasingly encountering sites and monuments and learning about the past through digital media, in the form of virtual reconstructions, digital representation of artefacts, online videos, and so on (Bonacchi 2017). This is particularly the case for younger generations, whose first experience of cultural heritage is often through a digital surrogate that shapes their understanding and perception (Shapiro 2018). The expansion of Web 2.0, the increasing use of smartphones, and the demand for almost constant access to the Internet also mean that social interaction with other visitors or staff at heritage sites, as well as face‐to‐face discussions about heritage, are increasingly transferred to the digital space. Digital media in all its different forms, such as the multitude of social networking tools that Web 2.0 encompasses (including blogs, podcasts, RSS feeds, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitch etc.), the mobile apps designed for individual use, virtual reality, digital collections, and interactive kiosk applications in exhibitions, all have been offering new possibilities for heritage organizations to interact with their public (Boom et al. Samanta Mariotti The Use of Serious Games as an Educational and Dissemination Tool for Archaeological Heritage magazén e-ISSN 2724-3923 2, 1, 2021, 119-138 Samanta Mariotti The Use of Serious Games as an Educational and Dissemination Tool for Archaeological Heritage 121 2020). Moreover, the increasing convenience of 3D and interactive technologies has led to a proliferation of digital tools (VR, AR, mobile applications), used to communicate the past. Heritage institutions have been experimenting with these tools for quite some time as part of their efforts at greater democratization, opening up to diverse communities and inviting different viewpoints and interpretations of their sites and collections. But have these hopes actually materialized in practice? As Economou (2015, 224) argues, heritage digitization programs are creating digital resources which constitute the building blocks of research, learning, management, cultural tourism, and the general understanding and appreciation of heritage. These digital resources are often used to create interpretative and “edutainment” applications related to heritage. However, it is not the tools or the digital assets themselves which are causing concerns, but rather the use that these are being put to. Who is producing them and towards what means? In what way are these being used and by whom? Are they actually effective and engaging? Other scholars (Mortara et al. 2014) have raised the same questions. They argued that although they may be helpful to allow the general public to appreciate “remote” (in space and time) cultural content through an immersive experience, these applications still lack a powerful mechanism to engage the large public into an active state of lasting commitment and learning where spectators are motivated to create their own knowledge rather than to receive information passively.1 Conversely, such engagement is evident in computer games providing amusing and compelling experiences, which keep the player focused for long-lasting sessions. For this reason, games with educational purposes – namely serious games (Dörner et al. 2016) – have become more and more popular and they are starting to get recognition even from academics and cultural institutions2 of those countries – the Italian case will be analysed more in detail – where the focus on university-based courseware in the historical and archaeological domain has remained quite entrenched. Supporting the player to achieve learning targets through a playful experience is the objective and main feature of a serious game. Thus, the design process of a serious game differs from the one of a 1 Many authors (see Champion 2017, 26 and reported references) also argue that AR and VR have several use limitations: they can require extra and special devices (3D glasses, specific system features), and the user is typically restricted to certain types of online browsers, operating systems, and platforms. Moreover, they contain too much data for many people to download, and walkthrough, especially on portable devices (smartphones and tablets). 2 For a recent analysis on the changing practices of cultural institutions which are increasingly involved in the production of serious games, considering them as strategic digital marketing tools to promote cultural heritage, see Bonacini, Giaccone 2021. magazén e-ISSN 2724-3923 2, 1, 2021, 119-138 122 common e-learning application since an intrinsic balance between learning and gaming should be found. Indeed, the learning content in a serious game has a predominant role in the game-play, but the game interactions and mechanics should not simply be a playful layer added atop a digital learning tool. This paper aims at presenting serious games as a promising tool for promoting and engagingly learning cultural contents, attracting new audiences and encouraging knowledge and awareness on archaeological heritage. The potential benefits of this tool will be analyzed and the role of archaeologists in the process of creating archaeological serious games will be stressed. The aim is to underline the need for a digital content that goes beyond the mere digitalization of the existent and its simple presentation in a different form (just more eyecatching) that adds nothing. The challenge for the future is the exploitation of tools that can promote the creation of awareness, lasting engagement, and critical knowledge starting from a specific and scientifically validated cultural content (Watrall 2002); that’s why this paper is specifically addressed to archaeologists interested in the use of original means to make the past relevant for the present: archaeological expertise shall be a crucial asset in this area and it can determine a whole bunch of professional possibilities over the coming years. Besides, this intent is consistent with the most recent and significant European conventions and documents concerning cultural heritage sustainable development (Council of Europe 2005, Council of the European Union 2014) and with the deepest intent connected with the widespread of digital and sustainability aspects in Public Archaeology projects (Bollwerk 2015; Gould 2018). 2 Digital Games as Educational and Engaging Tools Gamification is defined as “the use of game design elements in nongame contexts” (Deterding et al. 2011, 10). Another definition describes it as “the process of game-thinking and game mechanics to engage users and solve problems” (Zichermann, Cunningham 2011, XIV). There are many other aligned terms of gamification, such as productivity games, surveillance entertainment, playful design, behavioral games, game layer, and applied gaming; however, gamification is the term that is widely accepted in related literature (Bozkurt, Durak 2018). Though it was first used for marketing purposes, it has been used in relation to many issues – the pervasiveness and ubiquity of computer and video games in everyday life; the need to arouse and maintain students’ interest in learning – to involve users and encourage them to achieve more ambitious goals, following rules and having fun. The basic purpose of using gamification is to increase users’ motivation to provide more effective, efficient, engaging, endurSamanta Mariotti The Use of Serious Games as an Educational and Dissemination Tool for Archaeological Heritage magazén e-ISSN 2724-3923 2, 1, 2021, 119-138 Samanta Mariotti The Use of Serious Games as an Educational and Dissemination Tool for Archaeological Heritage 123 ing and entertaining experiences. In other words, the main goal of gamification is to keep the users, that is to say, players, in the game. The process of modern education takes place in the rapid growth in volume of new information, which is so rapidly becoming obsolete that students have no time to acquire the necessary useful knowledge but gained quickly loses their relevance. Rapidly developing technologies facilitate new leisure activities, and time for obtaining information becomes smaller for everyone. Also, the cognitive process is not required to take place in the formal (and often boring) environment and can turn into wholesome entertainment, with the acquisition of knowledge at the same time. Edutainment is a feature of technological implementation of modern forms of entertainment in traditional lectures, lessons, classes, workshops and masterclasses. Without television programs, desktop, computer and video games, movies, music, web sites, multimedia software is already impossible to imagine modern training and communication. Classes and activities held in the format of the technology edutainment can be conducted in cafes, parks, museums, offices, wherever you can obtain information on any informative topic in a relaxed atmosphere. Currently, in education, there is a transition to more interactive, engaging, and experiential learning methods in which also emotions play a fundamental part. According to Buckingham and Scanlon (2005), edutainment is “a hybrid genre that relies heavily on visual material, on narrative or game-like formats computer games-education-implications for game developers and more informal, less didactic styles of address”. Edutainment is the act of learning heavily through any of various media such as television programs, video games, films, music, multimedia, websites and computer software. Moreover, the importance of instrument-mediated activity through the use of edutainment environments is consistent with the learning theories derived from Piaget (1962) works focused on cognitive development. The use of games and video games as learning tools, known as game-based learning, is not a recent innovation, but it has been gaining prominence in recent decades. 3 Game-based learning has assumed greater interest since the beginning of the century with the Internet and the World Wide Web and, more recently, with the paradigm of Web 2.0 and social networks. Video games are popular among younger generations, designated by some as “digital natives” (Prensky 2001). For them, all these technologies always existed and are used as something that was always part of their lives. Moreover, all the researchers tell us that kids learn things through play: they learn to interact with each other, to follow rules, the executive func3 An extensive bibliography and some of the most significant contributions are discussed and summarised in Sailer et al. 2017. magazén e-ISSN 2724-3923 2, 1, 2021, 119-138 124 tions and problem-solving skills. Video games are successful because they seem to address today’s approaches to challenges and are consistent with the needs of our time (Shapiro 2018; Mariotti, Marotta 2020; Singh 2021). According to the last reports shared by the Entertainment Software Association, 2020 was a record-breaking year for the US industry, with total video game sales exceeding $57 billion. Over 214 million adults in the United States play video games, and three-quarters of all Americans have at least one gamer in their household (Entertainment Software Association 2020). Things are not very different if we focus on Europe: the size of the European video gaming industry reached € 21.6 billion in 2020 (Interactive Software Federation of Europe 2020). According to the most recent report (Italian Interactive Digital Entertainment Association 2020), Italian trends mirror these growth forecasts: in 2020 the industry turnover (including physical and digital hardware and software) was € 2.179 billion with an exceptional growth of 21.9% compared to 2019. Another very interesting fact revealed by the report is related to the profile of Italian gamers: 16.7 million people played video games in 2020, meaning 38% of the Italian population between 6 and 64 years. From a gender perspective, a quite similar proportion of men (56%) and women (44%) is also attested. The age groups of 15-24 and 45-64 are the most represented, followed by the range 25-34. In general, we can observe that the diffusion of video games is quite uniform and another very interesting data comes from the 6-14 range with an average of 10% of the total (considering both boys and girls as the difference between them is almost inconsistent). It appears quite obvious that, also due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 marked a record in the use of digital content. A very recent survey (Creative Keys 2020) shows that, during the lockdown, video games were amongst the tools cultural institutions used to engage with their public. According to the survey, people who played serious games linked to a cultural institution stated that: they have the perception of having learnt something (78%), they enjoyed that time (85.8%), they were encouraged to try other digital games with cultural content (81.1%), and more than half of them (54.4%) confirmed their willingness to visit those sites or museums in the future. 3 Gamifying the Past: an Italian Perspective In this global context, another interesting piece of data emerges: in fact, a brief perusal of video games’ content also reveals themes that often incorporate archaeological content, sometimes highly accurate, other times (most frequently) not so much (Christensen, Machado 2010). As Watrall (2002) argues, archaeological content has been ofSamanta Mariotti The Use of Serious Games as an Educational and Dissemination Tool for Archaeological Heritage magazén e-ISSN 2724-3923 2, 1, 2021, 119-138 Samanta Mariotti The Use of Serious Games as an Educational and Dissemination Tool for Archaeological Heritage 125 ten used as a triggering subject but archaeologically inspired interactive entertainment titles are often an outlet for some of the worst kinds of pseudo-archaeological ideas (e.g. Tomb Raider series). In the last decades, with the increasingly widespread use of advanced personal device technology such as smartphones and tablets and thanks to broadband internet access, the number of multimedia products developed within the archaeological community has certainly increased. However, the focus on peer-to-peer communication and university-based courseware has remained quite entrenched until recently. Archaeologists rarely ever considered exclusively targeting their interactive media towards the commercial market. As a result, the increasing public desire for sensational representations of the human past has been largely fulfilled by commercial interactive media producers who rarely have anywhere near the level of expertise necessary to produce titles that conform to the high content standards archaeologists desire and archaeology deserves. While, in a global perspective, serious games, edutainment, and gamification have been well-known concepts and many museums have been using digital playful activities for a long time, an increasing emphasis on these aspects is quite evident in the last years, especially in Italy where a certain resistance among the academics was still strong, with more and more archaeologists who have finally put their preconceptions aside and started considering video games as a useful tool for their objectives (Mariotti 2020a). The recent development of institutionalized public archaeology programs in Italy has had the potential not only to face the interactive entertainment industry’s increasing encroachment into archaeology, but also to change the sentiments that many Italian archaeologists hold toward interactive entertainment. It is not a coincidence that video games are a growing concern in global academic research in the archaeological field and present a considerable attraction for archaeologists who wish to present their research in a media format that can incorporate multiple perspectives, alternative narratives, and 3D representation to audiences that may not be engaged with other forms of academic literature or media regarding archaeology.4 In the last years, serious games in the archaeological heritage domain in Italy have received more and more attention, gaining the interest of museum institutions, academics, and local administrations. They appear in a wide variety of forms spanning from trivia, puzzles and mini-games (e.g. Time Tales – The Etruscans, a serious game for children designed by two archaeologists (Mariotti, Marotta 2020) in collaboration with a serious games company, Entertainment Game 4 Some of the most significant contributions in the field are Champion 2011; Mol et al. 2017; Reinhard 2018; Politopoulos et al. 2019; Hageneuer 2020; Pescarin 2020. magazén e-ISSN 2724-3923 2, 1, 2021, 119-138 126 Apps Ltd.), to engage in interactive exhibitions/visit (e.g. Inventum (2018), a 3D application in AR to enhance the Archaeological Park of Venosa, Potenza) to mobile applications for museums or touristic sites visits motivated by some reward/engagement mechanism (e.g. Mi Rasna, developed by Entertainment Game Apps Ltd. and dedicated to the Etruscan civilization (Amoroso 2020); Mediterranean developed by the same society as part of an European project dedicated to the Phoenician civilization; Father and Son (Solima 2018) created by Tuo Museo for the Archaeological Museum of Naples; Beyond Our Lives an adventure game by Tuo Museo to promote the main ancient Etruscan cities in Tuscany), to simulations of past events (e.g. Difendiamo le Mura based on the siege of the city of Paestum by Alexander Molossus and until recently available inside the local archaeological museum) to adventures set in faithful reconstructions and/or digital counterparts of real sites (e.g. A Night in The Forum (Ferdani et al. 2020; Pescarin et al. 2020), a 3D video game for PlayStation VR created by VRTRON in collaboration with Italian CNR and set in the Forum of Augustus, one of the Imperial fora of Rome; an ongoing 3D project (Mariotti 2020b) dedicated to the Park and Archaeological Open Air Museum of Poggibonsi, Siena and to the medieval phases of the site discovered by archaeologists. Generally speaking, a proliferation of video games projects connected with heritage sites, museums and institutions can be observed in the last few years. This encouraging figure, however, must be evaluated carefully: the risk is that fostering the creation of a serious game is reduced to the trend of the moment and that to an increasing number of projects does not correspond an equally high level of quality and relevance. Quality standards in terms of content, game design and objectives should be always respected and assessed wisely. 4 Serious Games & Archaeology: Potential and Benefits While, in the last decades, we have witnessed the introduction of serious games to support cultural heritage purposes, such as historical teaching and learning, or to enhance archaeological sites and museum visits, the increasing emphasis on and eye for the opportunity of this in the last years – especially in Italy – is beyond any doubt. The main reason is that this tool has the potential to be very adaptive and to allow a wide range of possibilities. These benefits can be classified into three different groups (with many spaces of interaction): education, public outreach and audience engagement, and touristic development. Samanta Mariotti The Use of Serious Games as an Educational and Dissemination Tool for Archaeological Heritage magazén e-ISSN 2724-3923 2, 1, 2021, 119-138 Samanta Mariotti The Use of Serious Games as an Educational and Dissemination Tool for Archaeological Heritage 127 4.1 Education and Learning The popularity of video games, especially among younger people, makes them an ideal medium for educational purposes. Serious games can provide player engagement by creating a fun experience for users while also supporting them to achieve learning objectives. That is why games can also aid in familiarizing young people and adults with specific cultural heritage topics, such as ancient history or archaeology, and significantly increase their interest levels and engagement (Mortara et al. 2014). Supporting the player to achieve learning targets through a fun experience is the objective and main feature of a serious game. The fun aspect of a serious game provides engagement and can be determined by several factors like storyboard, graphics, usability, collaboration/competition mechanisms, and interaction devices (Mariotti, Marotta 2020). The learning aspect implements a pedagogical approach, by structuring the educational content and organizing its presentation (Capdevila Ibáñez et al. 2011). An appealing and meaningful environment, a compelling narrative, and a suited and intuitive interaction paradigm are the three main elements to create engagement. Moreover, serious games for cultural heritage seem particularly suited for the affective domain. Empathy with a game character and plot may be very helpful to understand historical events, different ancient cultures, other people’s feelings, problems, and behaviors, on the one hand, and the beauty and value of the past, architecture, art, and heritage, on the other one. This persuasive approach should be combined with the rigour of the scientific method, which is a balance not easy to achieve, not only in games. As pointed out by Mortara et al. (2014), adventure games are particularly suited to implement the “learning by doing” approach (Dewey 1938), which is related to the constructivism theory, where the player learns by constructing knowledge while doing a meaningful activity. In this approach to education, the learner does not passively receive information – as in a simple explanation, a panel or a virtual reconstruction although accompanied by a description – but rather actively constructs new knowledge by finding information in the game, understanding it, and then applying the new knowledge to fulfil tasks (Boyan, Sherry 2011). As underlined in Froschauer (2012), players remember more the knowledge related to task completion than information directly provided by the game, not to mention that simply responding to direct instructions would not be fun at all. Moreover, serious games allow a personalized approach to learning: except for games located in exhibitions or designed as mobile applications for augmented visits, all the other games can be consumed at home or school, or both; a game can even be played partially at school, in small groups and with the support of the teacher, and partially at home for example as a tool to review the acquired knowledge. magazén e-ISSN 2724-3923 2, 1, 2021, 119-138 134 6 Conclusions Serious games are an acknowledged tool for several purposes and amongst this range of possibilities, they can meet archaeological aims and so, represent an extraordinary medium for archaeological heritage dissemination and enhancement. First of all, they are a potential for public outreach and education, because they can strongly motivate learners and create awareness about a topic. They can also provide immersive environments where a large variety of users can practice knowledge and skills, and finally, they can be used as an asset to promote tourism and sustainable cultural heritage development. The design of a serious game, by its nature, requires the iterative collaboration of various experts with specific competencies and skills: educators, art directors, game designers, scriptwriters, software developers, graphic and sound designers. Additionally, a serious game in the archaeological heritage field cannot ignore the domain experts who select the educational contents and provide scientific validity and reliability. This teamwork aims at preventing the project from being just a game with an extra layer of pedagogical and pseudo-archaeological content. There needs to be a new breed of archaeologists who take an active participatory role, as consultants, developers, and writ - ers. This is an ethical responsibility but also a very stimulating possibility for archaeologists who are interested in exploring new ways to engage the public, share their research and promote archaeological sites and knowledge: actually, this kind of new interdisciplinary professional profiles can take up the challenge and, through serious games, create a brand new set of opportunities for professionals and cultural and archaeological heritage (Mariotti 2020a). However, for serious games to be considered a viable educational tool, they must provide some means of testing and progress tracking. As Kevin Corti of PIXELearning stated (Michael, Chen 2005). Again, archaeologists must take care of this issue in collaboration with other professionals. This will increase efficiency in designing games and authoring contents, which is a key requirement for the serious game industry. 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