Key factors and network model for location-based cultural mobile game design

TL;DR

This paper identifies key factors and develops a network model for designing location-based cultural mobile games, emphasizing culture learning and content design through expert assessments using ANP.

Contribution

It introduces a novel network model for cultural game design based on expert evaluations and the analytic network process (ANP).

Findings

Culture learning is the most important factor.

Prior knowledge, challenge levels, and cultural narrative are key elements.

Content design strongly interacts with culture learning.

Abstract

The use of smart devices as media for digital learning constitutes a new-generation digital learning paradigm. Therefore, context-aware game-based learning has attracted considerable attention. Location-based games have not only positive effects on learning but also pronounced effects on culture and history. Accordingly, focusing on railway cultural heritages, we attempted to assess interdependent relationships between key factors crucial for the design of a location-based mobile game for cultural heritages. We adopted the analytic network process (ANP) for our assessment. We initially performed a literature review to generalize relevant criteria and elements and developed a questionnaire based on the fuzzy delphi method (FDM); thus, key factors, namely 3 criteria and 15 elements, were selected. We also applied an online ANP-based questionnaire; on the basis of the experts opinions, we established a network model and determined the priority order of the key factors. The results revealed that experts considered culture learning to be of the highest importance, with the most important three elements being prior knowledge, challenge levels, and cultural narrative. In addition, culture learning exhibited a strong interaction with content design. In each criterion, one element had a considerable influence on the remaining elements, as determined by an analysis of matrices.