Heritage Role Playing- History as an Interactive Digital Game

Creating virtual heritage environments that intend to be both engaging and educational is a challenging process. Digital archaeological reconstruction has been concerned with exact replication of facts rather than with understanding, for the latter raises the annoying dilemma of how to present scientific uncertainty. A computer model almost invariably implies certitude, and archaeologists are still not sure how to convey the murky battle of historical interpretation. Yet games are quite happy to allow users to ‘muddy’ historical settings. And while the bulk of computer game design may be justly considered a-cultural or even anti-cultural, the underlying techniques of engaging interactively with the audience offer new ways of increasing the popularity and immersive learning of virtual environments. However there are some serious issues in heritage projects adopting a game-style approach. Would using interactive game techniques and technologies create a more engaging user experience? If we can animate the past in this way, will the entertainment factor help or impede learning, and how will we know how effective the interactivity is? And would our results help bridge the gap between the industry (be it virtual exhibitions or interactive game design) and academia?