News

INITIATIVE OF GAMIFICATION APPLIED TO HERITAGE
POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE OF TOMAR

Within the scope of the curricular unit "Principles of Tourism", of the Degree in Tourism and Cultural Heritage Management at the Escola Superior de Gestão de Tomar, students Lannay Borges, Maria Luísa Sequeira and Maria Costa devised a creative proposal based on gamification, inspired by the training action organiSed within the scope of the GAME ON project - "Giving Heritage to Life through Gamification", which took place on 12 November 2024. The students presented a gamification proposal applied to cultural heritage, suggesting ways to make more dynamic and interactive tourist experience..

The proposal: ViewTomar
The main idea would involve the creation of a digital platform called ViewTomar, designed to involve tourists and residents in discovering the city in a fun and educational way. Some of the highlights include:

Interactive maps: These would be made available via QR Codes at the Tomar train station, with information on itineraries, transport and points of interest.
Progression system: Users would be able to advance in level – from “beginner” to “expert” – based on locations visited, unlocking rewards such as access to “secret locations” and exclusive itineraries.
Interactive stories: Monuments and cultural spaces would have QR Codes that would offer curiosities and historical information directly on the cell phone.
Event promotion: The platform could also publicise cultural events and commemorative dates, bringing the local community and visitors closer together.

A regard towards the future

If implemented, this proposal would have the potential to attract new audiences to Tomar, while at the same time encouraging the preservation of cultural heritage in a sustainable way. The students believe that gamification can transform people's relationship with heritage, making it more personal, accessible and memorable.

“Our idea is not only to make the visit to Tomar more interesting, but also to create connections between people and the city’s heritage, encouraging respect and care for its history”, shared one of the students.

This proposal is an example of how creativity and critical thinking can result in innovative solutions that combine technology, tourism and culture. Although it is still just an idea, it leaves an open invitation to reflect on how we can reinvent the way we explore our heritage.

VISIT TO C2DH - Centre for Contemporary and Digital History
UNIVERSITY OF LUXEMBURG
17 dec. 2024

On 17 December, the GAME ON team, represented by Célio Gonçalo Marques, João Paulo Pedro and Cláudia Pires da Silva, went to the C2DH - Centre for Contemporary and Digital History research centre at the University of Luxembourg to learn about gamification projects applied to heritage and to discuss future cooperation, particularly a future COST Action. As well as a guided tour led by Sandra Camarda, a specialist in ‘Transmedia Storytelling’, meetings were held with the Vice Director of the C2DH, Denis Scuto, with Pedro Cardoso-Leite, a cognitive scientist leading the xCIT group, and with Robert Reuter, who took part in the ‘Creating Digital Games for Education’ project.

DISSERTATION DEFENCE ON GAMIFICATION IN CULTURAL HERITAGE
POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE OF TOMAR
11 dec. 2024

On 11 December, Soraia Tarrinha defended her master's thesis entitled ‘Gamification in the Context of Cultural Heritage in Portugal: Analysis of the Perspectives of Tour Operators and Tourists using Python’, supervised by Prof. Célio Gonçalo Marques. The dissertation sought to understand the perceptions and expectations of tourists and tour operators regarding the implementation of gamification in Portuguese heritage resources.
The study carried out by the master, which analyses the benefits, challenges and characteristics valued in a gamified application, shows that gamification has a high potential to enrich the cultural experience and attract new audiences, as long as technical barriers are overcome and ease of use and accessibility are promoted. The development of this work, developed in the scope of the GAME ON project, contributes greatly to a better understanding of the application of gamification in the area of heritage.

GAMOTEC '24 - 4^th International Workshop on Gamification and Motivational Technologies
ONLINE
26-27 nov. 2024

On 26 November 2024, the TECHN&ART researchers participated in GAMOTEC – 4^th International Workshop on Gamification and Motivational Technologies, organised by the University of Zaragoza, Spain. The communication entitled Gamification and Heritage: an identification of global research clusters world-wide, by Célio Gonçalo Marques, Tatiana Barradas, Inês Araújo, João Paulo Pedro, Cláudia Pires da Silva and Andreia Nogueira, was presented by Tatiana Barradas and sought to promote the work developed as part of the project GAME ON – Guidelines for Gamification in Cultural Heritage. The paper will be published in the conference Proceedings.

Training Session "Bringing Heritage to Life Through Gamification"
POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE OF TOMAR
12 nov. 2024

The training session ‘Bringing Heritage to life through Gamification’ took place on 12 November as part of the internal project GAME ON – Orientations for gamification in Cultural Heritage.
The session aimed to share information about gamification and underline its applicability on the heritage field, and it was aimed at heritage practitioners, TECHN&ART researchers and the Polytechnic Institute of Tomar’s community.
The event was organised by TECHN&ART researchers Célio Gonçalo Marques and Inês Araújo, experts in gamification, João Paulo Pedro, an expert in heritage, and Samsun M. Basarici, an expert in game development and Artificial Intelligence, from Adnan Menderes University in Aydin, Turkey.

ICOTTS'24 - International Conference on Tourism, Technology & Systems

FUNCHAL, MADEIRA
30-31 oct. 2024

On October 31, 2024, researchers Célio Gonçalo Marques and Inês Araújo presented the paper Gamified Heritage in Portugal: Case Studies Analysis at the ICOTTS'24 - International Conference on Tourism, Technology & Systems.

X Congreso Internacional Científico-Profesional de Turismo Cultural
CÓRDOBA, SPAIN
20-23 feb. 2024

On February 22, 2024, researcher Célio Gonçalo Marques presented the communication Game on: future directions for gamification in/for cultural heritage at the X Congreso Internacional Científico-Profesional de Turismo Cultural, held in Córdoba, Spain.