Presentation

The GAME ON Project - Gamification Guidelines for Cultural Heritage is an internal project (CFPI2023/05) of TECHN&ART - Center for Technology, Restoration and Valorization of the Arts of the Polytechnic University of Tomar.

There is no denying the growing interest that has been developed in applying gamification to various contexts and purposes. In the context of cultural heritage, these strategies and techniques have shown very promising potential in various areas, from heritage education and interpretation, to the design of experiences for cultural enjoyment and even the facilitation of processes in heritage preservation efforts.
In the context of TECHN&ART, too, this interest is beginning to take its first steps. Between 2022 and 2023, a comprehensive systematic literature review study was conducted on the application of gamification techniques and serious games in cultural heritage intervention projects. In addition to public presentations, this study led to the publication of scientific articles (Marques, et. al., 2022; Marques, et. al., 2023). At the same time, the work carried out contributed to the design and subsequent financing of an  Erasmus+ (KA220-HED) project with 6 international partners on community-based gamification strategies. Despite this work, there is still significant potential for expansion and exploration of transdisciplinary lines of research within TECHN&ART and its networks.

Looking more broadly at the context in which this work is taking place, clues emerge to guide future work. One of the challenges (and opportunities) identified in the study (Marques, et. al., 2022) refers to the relative insularity of gamification studies in the field of heritage. Despite their solidity and relevance, scientific publications remain generally focused on demonstrating the results of projects, with little dialog between them or with the debates that remain active in academic circles of heritage studies (Marques, et. al., 2022). 

This project will therefore seek to create the conditions to respond to these two motives for action: the growing interest and potential for exploration within TECHN&ART and its networks, and the response that is intended to be given to this opportunity within the general context of scientific production.
Looking to the future, the project will focus on two key axes: consolidating knowledge and building capacity for debate.

Axis 1.

On the first axis, the aim is to consolidate and expand the knowledge already produced, guiding it towards the exploration of new avenues of research.To this end, the work carried out in this project will seek to explore and point out avenues of research that are still relatively absent in the literature, as well as providing scientific support for the first steps in building an international network on this subject.The latter will build on the kinergies already established within the KreativEU consortium and will point towards a future application for a COST action in this thematic line, after the conclusion of this project. The aim is to create the conditions for TECHN&ART to be at the forefront of research in the field and in relevant academic circles. 

Axis 2.

On the second axis, the aim will be to train the body of researchers at TECHN&ART and its networks, in order to arouse more research interest and, consequently, foster new avenues for interdisciplinary discussion of the subject. To this end, a training session and debate (in workshop format) will be held, open to TEHN&ART researchers, IPT faculty and students from its various disciplinary areas, as well as the specialized public with an interest in the subject.By learning through dialog between disciplines and working circles, we will try to create possible avenues for debate to be explored beyond the end of the project.  

Finally, based on the considerations and debates that emerge in the context of the project, a more theoretical reflection will be conducted, seeking to identify general lines of research that are relevant to thinking about gamification in the future within the most relevant current debates in heritage studies. This reflection will result in a publication that is intended to guide action in the near future, both at TECHN&ART and in the field more broadly. 

Financed by national funds, through the FCT, under the R&D unit TECHN&ART, with the reference UID/05488/2020.