To gamify the tourist tour experience would ideally help motivate the day tourists to drift away from the packed tourist routes and to visit cultural institutions (which they tend not to do).
What is Gamification?
the application of typical elements of game playing (e.g. point scoring, competition with others, rules of play) to other areas of activity
I will try to apply these elements to this tour of Venice
There are 3 basic psychological needs that make a good game:
Autonomy
The choice that people make and why they make them
Competence
The ability to be challenged appropriately
Challenge that matches our skill level
Not too easy that it becomes boring and not too difficult that we become anxious
Relatedness
Our connection and support with others
4 additional elements:
- Goals
- Rules
- Challenge/conflict
- Feedback
Interesting Ted talks on the subject:
The Power of Gamification in Education | Scott Hebert | TEDxUAlberta. 2018
Gamification to improve our world: Yu-kai Chou at TEDxLausanne
Thoughts:
These are all things I must think about to create an engaging and interactive experience.
A clear goal that you’re working towards
The tourists will be trying to solve a murder while looking for a mysterious cursed object (to be determined).
Clear progress towards completing that goal
They will have to follow the clues, each sending them to the next with the possibility to speak with a local involved in the the game. Help will be found in the cultural institutions.
Clear and immediate feedback to tell you how you are doing
This is a point I still need to work on. The app may recognise when a clue has been found and showcase supportive messages
A balance of challenge and skill
Observation, attention to detail and patience will be the skills necessary in order to complete the game.
QR Codes:
I thought of the possibility of creating non-invasive QR codes as a way for people to move on in the game Ex: scanning the QR code will unlock a riddle that must be solved. It could also show the image of an object that must be found. The possibilities are endless
Helpful Apps:
This app allows users to create their own scavenger hunts, this could be a nice way to test the idea before designing my own app:
This is an easy code-free app maker, in case I want to develop and app:
Photogrammetry:
This is another way of making the game interactive, although slightly more complicated.
It is the science and technology of obtaining reliable information about physical objects and the environment through the process of recording, measuring and interpreting photographic images and patterns of electromagnetic radiant imagery and other phenomena.
Lievendag, N. (2017) Single-Camera Photogrammetry. Available at: https://3dscanexpert.com/beginners-guide-3d-scanning-photogrammetry/ (Accessed: May 23 2021).
The idea would be to integrate virtual objects to the tour in order for the tourists to get a sense of what is no longer there (Ex: a statue, a wall, a pillar etc). It can also be used to support the narrative by adding what would look like magical elements.
The problem is that the apps that provide this tool only work with LIDAR, which can only be found in the newer iPhones.
A way around this problem would be to use models that have already been made:
https://3dwarehouse.sketchup.com/search/?q=statue&searchTab=model
However, I might find what I need.
What could go wrong with gamification:
- Me not having the skills to create something that works
- Playing a game may distract from the city’s history
- May cause inappropriate behaviour in places where respect must be shown (ex: church, museum)
- May not interest older generations
Works cited:
Aber, J. Ries, J. Marzolff, I. Aber, S. (2019) Small-Format Aerial Photography and UAS Imagery. Netherlands: Elsevier.
TEDx Talks (2014) Gamification to improve our world: Yu-kai Chou at TEDxLausanne. February 26 2014. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5Qjuegtiyc&t=860s (Accessed: May 15 2021)
TEDx Talks (2018) The Power of Gamification in Education | Scott Hebert | TEDxUAlberta. May 7 2018. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOssYTimQwM (Accessed: May 15 2021)