Development of a Virtual Reality Game for Cultural Heritage Education: The Voyage of “Gotheborg”

Video games have been recognized as one of the most engaging forms of entertainment today, and are making a major contribution to the digital future. This research aims to combine the gaming elements of game design and virtual reality technology, and promote cultural heritage education through an engaging and fun experience, especially in a young population. Firstly, we summarized game mechanics and elements used for cultural heritage education through game product analysis and literature review. Secondly, we developed a virtual reality game for cultural heritage education that reproduced the voyage of “Gotheborg” to Canton, including game mechanic, game story, aesthetic expression and game technology. Finally, a pilot test was conducted to validate the effectiveness of our game developed. Our study contributes interdisciplinary research by bringing together currently distinct approaches from virtual reality technology, game design, cultural heritage, and education. It will bring new technology to impact on the digital media, cultural heritage education, and service industries.