Building an Apotheosis Machine

Event details

Computer based adventures games like Red Dead Redemption, Skyrim and Dear Esther have achieved emotionally engaging stories in an “open world” virtual environment. How do such games become “Engines of Emotion” (Sylvester, T. Designing Games, O’Reilly Media, 2013-01-03)? What can real-world cultural heritage sites learn from the video games industry about presenting a coherent story while giving visitors freedom to explore and allowing them to become participants in the story making? 

One finding of recent research conducted in preparation for a locative game project was that a large proportion of the sample expressed zero interest in games involving the player’s location. And those that were interested, or indeed who had any recognition or awareness of such games, belonged to a shrinking segment of the gaming community. So it may be that most people don’t want to play games that use their real world position, or that this idea is yet to have its moment. How then can heritage sites make practical use of the non-linear storytelling opportunities that gaming offers?

This presentation describes a project to take digital technology out of the hands of the heritage visitor, while simultaneously using it to create an interactive experience, which places them at the heart of an emotional journey.

Matthew Tyler-Jones is a part-time PhD researcher at Southampton University and a consultant specialising in Visitor Experience with the National Trust.