GALA workshop: learning Cultural Heritage by Serious Games
Michela Mortara and Chiara Eva Catalano
Immersive technologies such as virtual environments and augmented reality have a clear potential to support the experiencing of Cultural Heritage (CH) by the large public, complementing the current tools and practices based on tangible goods such as museums, exhibitions, books and visual content. Serious Games (SGs) - videogames designed for educational objectives - appear as a new tool to learn cultural content in an engaging way. In this workshop supported by the EU Network of Excellence “GALA: Games and Learning Alliance” (www.galanoe.eu) we will portray the current proposition of serious games in the cultural sector, which is intrinsically multi-disciplinary. In fact, the diversity and the complexity of the field have to be matched with the new technologies and the pedagogical aspects. In a half-day, we will consider these three perspectives and discuss together with domain experts, researchers and game developers how they can be integrated to enhance the cultural dissemination. On the one side, the contribution of academy on pedagogical and psychological theories able to drive the game design and maximise the learning impact will be outlined. On the other side, the ICT perspective on the numerous technologies (e.g. game mechanics, virtual reality, geometric modelling, HCI) involved in the faithful and effective representation and consumption of heritage contents will be faced both from the research and industry point of view. These aspects will be discussed in the light of the requirements of the specific learning experience to be realised by a SG.The last part of the workshop will be devoted to a round table where the most significant challenges in the design and adoption of educational games in CH will be identified and discussed with the panellists.
Michela Mortara, CNR IMATI-Ge, Genova, Italy
Title: Current proposition of serious games for humanities and heritage
Abstract: In this talk the current proposition of SGs in the cultural sector will be reviewed and analysed according to the learning objectives, the genre and the context of use.
Panagiotis Petridis, Coventry University, UK
Title: Promoting experiential learning through the use of games
Abstract: This talk will explore how experiential learning can be supported by games towards promoting active reflection within the domain of cultural heritage.
Pernille Korzon-Dunweber, Serious Game Interactive, Copenhagen, Denmark
Title: Sharing Historical & Cultural Heritage in a fun Interactive way
Chiara Eva Catalano, CNR IMATI-Ge, Genova, Italy
Title: Computer Graphics recipes for modelling smart virtual environments
Abstract: The recent research outcomes of Computer Graphics devoted to shape modelling and understanding will be presented in the perspective of creating smart virtual objects and characters.
Jean-Pierre Jessel, IRIT, Université Paul Sabatier, Toulose, France
Title: New approaches, more interaction and more fun for a better understanding of archaeology
Abstract: We will show the different attempts to provide new ways of interaction in order to offer a better experience and a better understanding of cultural messages for the visitor.
Jannicke Baalsrud Hauge, BIBA, Bremen, Germany
Title: A roadmap for effective and integrated SGs: from requirements to solutions
Abstract: The advances in this field are undergoing fast changes, but what are the trends and needs for SGs? What the specific requirements from the cultural heritage sector?
Roundtable, Discussion with the panelists on the challenges in the design and adoption of Serious Games in Cultural Heritage
