Digital Games in Museums: Interactive Experiences for Visitors
Opportunities and challenges of playful approaches to cultural mediation - four examples from practice.
Together with Sebastian Senger.
Digital games open up new possibilities for museums in terms of visitor engagement. But which formats work - and what matters when designing them?
Four Museums and Their Digital Games
Memory - Museum of Industrial Culture Nuremberg
A simple memory game with 8 pairs of images, designed for children. Clear rules, low barrier to entry.
”Democracy and Dictatorship” - LeMO (Foundation House of History / DHM / Federal Archives)
A drag-and-drop game: photographs of objects are assigned either to the GDR or the Federal Republic. Conveys historical context knowledge in a playful way.
”Decision Game” - Jewish Museum Berlin
Developed for the special exhibition “Robbery and Restitution” (2008). Four characters, 16 playable variants - the game illustrates different perspectives on restitution processes and makes the complexity of historical decision-making tangible.
Sachsen-Böhmen-7000-Telelernen - State Museum of Archaeology Chemnitz (smac)
Four mini-games in the style of outdated Windows versions: Fake Postcards, Berggeschrey, Lukas Cranach Jump ‘n’ Run, Pümpelschießen. An ironic and playful approach to archaeological content.
Colmar Aventure
A native app with five tours through the city of Colmar. QR codes on objects link the physical urban space with digital content. Target audience: families with children aged 7-12.
Design Recommendations
The following recommendations can be drawn from evaluating these and further examples:
- Simple game mechanics and intuitive operation - visitors have no time for lengthy instructions
- Responsive design for smartphones and tablets
- The game should remain understandable and usable independently of the current exhibition
- Digital games primarily address the learning dimensions “Knowledge & Understanding” and “Joy, Inspiration & Creativity”
A Living Culture of Remembrance Through Digital Games
The Foundation for Digital Gaming Culture has compiled a list of games that address topics related to remembrance culture. One example: Through Darkest of Times - a strategy game in which players make strategic decisions as part of a resistance group fighting National Socialism.
The Hamburg Foundation for Memorial Sites and Places of Learning is currently developing a game as an educational resource for school classes: Die Kinder vom Bullenhuser Damm. This shows how digital games can be a suitable format for conveying even very serious and sensitive topics.