Gamiﬁcation of Heritage through Augmented Reality

This paper focuses on a game on architectural heritage, possibilities for using gamification for conveying information through the reanimation of an ancient city. It proposes an immersive AR game involving the portrayal of cultural heritage through mobile devices. The game includes an AR application for Android devices which enabled rendering of 3D content in combination with camera input. This application is an independent game, tracking targets through GPS on a larger scale and using object recognition on a smaller scale. Our research aims to propose implementing game mechanics on an AR system at an archaeological site in order to increase visitors' interest, and promote the dissemination of cultural heritage.


INTRODUCTION
Ancient cities of archaeological excavations function as sites of both scientific research and public exhibition.Usually, long-term archaeological research means postponing the preparation of the site for visitors.Public engagement is often further delayed by the need for rigorous research involving data collection, documentation, analysis and interpretation of the artifacts.The practice of archaeology with the participation of the public is known as 'public archaeology' , defined by Moshenska (2017: 7) as "all the work of state-controlled or -funded bodies on national, regional and local scales to manage, preserve, study and communicate archaeological heritage".Public archaeology has come to refer to heritage management in a general way, but this term can be misleading if it focuses on the interests of the archeologists in preserving cultural heritage, at the expense of the interest of the public (King, 2012).In some archaeological excavations, the interests of the locals have been neglected.One of the most pressing concerns facing archaeologists and cultural resource managers is how to protect cultural resources for meaningful research and future investigation while ensuring access to the citizens, who in many cases, are the true owners of the resource.
The public interest and engagement with the heritage may be achieved through digital public archaeology.This 'digital' form of public archaeology involves engaging the user with archaeology by means of web and mobile technologies, social media applications, and the communication process by which this commitment is mediated online.The internet allows direct experience archeological works in various formats through all stages of the process, from fieldwork through post-excavation (Richardson, 2013).According to Richardson, simply curating a website containing pages of hyperlinked text has lost its effectiveness in attracting serious public interest, and organizations need to use social networking ac-tivity, and to stimulate public engagement with the past through online presentation.In this regard, websites, social network platforms, video, podcasting, digital archives & repositories, and richer mobile content are all becoming more common (Watrall, 2011).Another enriched mediated content platform, Augmented Reality (AR), is also used for the visualization of heritage through informative and educational applications for visitors (Haugstvedt, & Krogstie, 2012).According to Dieck and Jung (2018), AR will become more valuable in near future because it reduces the need for information boards and other interpretive panels (including photographs, drawings, reconstructions, 3D views, models, maps, audio materials, etc.) for the presentation of outdoor historic and listed sites.The interaction between cultural heritage site visitors and AR systems will result in improved experience (Han et al. 2013).Among the aforementioned tools for public engagement with heritage, games, especially digital games, are now attracting more academic attention.
Games have played an important role in all known human cultures.Digital games, in all their various techniques and genres, are simply a new format of this ancient method of social interaction.Gamification refers to the adaptation of game technology and game design methods outside of the game industry.The dynamics of gaming are built on human desires, which may be rewards, status, achievement, self-expression, or competition.Gamification focusing on heritage sites and applications is gaining increasing value, because it engages visitors and allows for new means of interacting with cultural heritage information.Combined with the well-known formats of scavenging and treasure hunts, the practice of location-aware storytelling could enhance experiences related to cultural heritage awareness, and increase visitor involvement and engagement.
This paper focuses on gamification of heritage through the architectural reconstructions, i.e., the possibilities for using gamification for teaching heritage through representing various hypotheses regarding the reality of an ancient city (Varinlioglu and Kasali, 2018).The initial proposal is for a game entitled TeosGO, a treasure hunt game of immersive revisit of the cultural heritage through mobile devices.Based on current technologies, which enable rendering of 3D content through the camera input, we developed a mobile AR application for mobile Android devices (Varinlioglu and Halici, 2019).A single imagebased tracking approach is not capable of recognising a 3D object from different viewpoints.With this approach, it is impossible to recognize a 3D model when the viewing perspective is changed, i.e., the image captured by the camera no longer matches the reference image.To overcome this deficiency, this study offers real-time, in situ 3D depiction and visualization of architectural artifacts of an ancient city implementing model-based tracking methods.Our research proposes implementing game mechanics on AR system at an archeological site in order to increase the interest of visitors, and thus improve the dissemination of cultural heritage.

REVIEW ON GAMIFICATION OF HERITAGE THROUGH AR GAMES
The term gamification refers to the approach of game thinking and game mechanics to increase motivation in non-game areas, and to encourage problemsolving.In other words, gamification can be expressed as the use of game design elements outside the normal context of games (Deterding et al., 2011).According to Gartner's Hype Cycle (2011), there has been a significant and growing acceptance gamifying process in many fields.Applying gamification to any activity encourages increased involvement and engagement (Brigham, 2015).Seaborn and Fells (2014) argued that gamification may be more accurately described as a subset of a larger effort to improve the user experience of interactive systems through gameful design, to increase user motivation, engagement and enjoyment in nongaming, computer-mediated environments.Game techniques are added to existing educational processes in order to make these processes more interesting and attractive (Kapp, 2012).In this sense, a game-based learning environment in the archaeological domain will become more important for awareness-raising among visitors, and especially for digital natives.In addition, studies of serious games with educational objectives in the cultural heritage domain have focused on analysing the complex relations between genres, contexts of use, technological solutions and learning effectiveness (Mortara et al., 2014).In a cultural heritage context, implementing games, game-like activities, or game elements (badges, tokens, or similar mechanisms) enhances learning and engagement (Bujari et al., 2017).
Studies on digital heritage offer an interdisciplinary approach to historical sites, buildings, and artifacts, incorporating archaeology, restoration, and architecture.Recent developments in emerging technologies have led to the development of 3D archaeology, in which digital tools provide new perspectives on the collection, analysis, and visualization of data from archaeological excavations.Among these technologies, AR has great potential for investigating archaeological objects.Not only does AR provide a non-destructive way for archaeologists, art historians, and other scholars to analyze objects through high-resolution images, with no risk of damage to the originals, it also allows visitors to envision the 3D reconstructions of the ancient sites (Bekele et al. 2018).
The potential of gamified AR technologies has been studied at both indoor heritage institutions and outdoor heritage sites (Benckendorff et al., 2018).Hammady et al. 's (2016) study is a good example of a combination of indoor AR and gamification techniques in the Egyptian museum in Cairo.New technologies provide an uninterrupted illusion of a mediated experience (Riva, 2008).According to Weber (2014), location-based AR games seem to produce impressions of greater naturalness, as the boundary between the virtual and the real world disappears from the user's phenomenal awareness.In recent studies on outdoor cultural heritage, mixed techniques of AR applications have been preferred over solely marker-based AR applications.Archeoguide is a ground-breaking example of location-based AR implementation for the ancient city of Olympia and its ruins (Vlahakis et al., 2001).This implementation is based on the location and orientation of the user in the cultural area, with real-time rendering.Another implementation is KnossosAR, an outdoor mobile augmented reality (MAR) guide for Knossos in Crete, which integrates AR projections of interpretive information with a non-linear storytelling (Galatis et al., 2016).
Technology has advanced further than the methods mentioned above, and the latest mobile devices can track predefined 3D physical objects seamlessly.Model-based tracking systems, with their highly-advanced capabilities (Selvam et al., 2016), have great potential for site use.The emerging technology of the model-based tracking method makes possible real-time tracking of any physical object.The system requires pre-defined 3D models of the object to refer to as initial coordinate -reference point in the physical environment, and to superimpose virtual annotations.
This study aims to develop a mobile game based on model-based AR tracking methods, and to present 3D virtual archeological objects).Currently, augmented reality in archaeological excavations is mainly achieved by GPS tracking or imagebased marking; in contrast, this project explores the use of model-based AR tracking technology to superimpose information on the artifacts themselves.Using model-based tracking technology within augmented reality environments, we aim to develop a mobile application suitable for expert archaeologists and non-expert end-users alike.Information pertaining to artifacts in the field, is conveyed by means of mobile devices, and thus provides an innovative additional layer of overall archaeological site experience.
order to increase the effectiveness of communicating knowledge about 3D reconstructions of the ancient site.The methodology includes a game design and development to enable visitors to experience the archaeological site.This is achieved by using GPS and model-based tracking methods for detection and overlaying created 3D reconstructions through an AR environment.Through a model-based mobile augmented reality, actual architectural artifacts are transformed into informed objects without disturbing the archaeological site.The evaluation phase of the game gives insights into possible further developments of an independent AR game.

Game Design
Game design is a broad field of computer programming, creative writing and graphic design.It is the art of applying design and aesthetics to make a game, whether for amusement, or for academic, exerciserelated, or experimental functions.Game design should start with the gameplay, the combination and interaction of various elements of a game, although this stage is often neglected.Gameplay is achieved through game mechanics, the engineering concept of the gameplay, which refers to programmers' methods for determining interactivity within the game.Game mechanics are rules and procedures which govern how the game responds to the player's move.
The core concept of a game defines the narrative to be conveyed, and has three components: a theme, what the game is about; a premise, who you are in the game; and settings, how you play the game.This is often structured around a core recurrent/repetitive act.Rather than giving the feeling of being boringly repetitive, it provides a sense of progress through constantly raising the level of tension.Due to the unexpected and unpredictable nature of the action, we enjoy the continued repetition of the same act.The repetition of these actions ceases when a certain termination condition is reached, in other words, iterations are aimed at reaching a certain target, which ends the need for further repetition.The main rationale for repetitive movements is their eventual convergence, which is ensured by certain game rules and regulations.
Our game is a treasure hunt game, which involves collecting virtual points by finding AR objects and answering trivia questions (Figure 1).When augmented artifacts are found on site, the player wins virtual coins.Some players may miss some of the artifacts, and consequently may wander around the archaeological site, but through GPS tracking, players will be guided to other AR artifacts at various other locations on the site.The goal of this game is to motivate site visitors to explore while learning, and disseminate this learning to public during the site visit.We created the initial game mechanics by integrating various game elements, such as coins as collection dynamics and short quizzes to unlock the next destination point.Extending the role of AR in archeological site exploration, this study proposes new technology that facilitates new experiences, not only through didactic information transition by represen-Figure 1 Flowchart of the game prototype Figure 2 System architecture of the game prototype tation, but also through immersive and pleasurable interaction.
The system architecture of this application consists of six steps: location-based alert initializes the second step, image capturing and activation of the tagged scene, followed by object detection, tracking, overlaying virtual data, and, finally, display (Figure 2).

Evaluation
The game design includes core concepts, game mechanics, aesthetics, character, levels, and main element narratives.The development of games brings together these elements to enable the realization of goals.Game developers start from the conceptual phase and make it into reality.In other words, programmers translate ideas into codes that computers can understand.A prototype game is a draft version of a testing game.The creation of a prototype typically marks the shift from the design stage to the development and testing stage.
Game testing is the discovery and documentation process during game development.Testing includes understanding players' real-time experiences through collecting feedback on their use of the application.The research focuses initial elements of the process, i.e., feedback on the gameplay, the usability of its components and screen elements, the clarity of its goals and rules, ease of learning, and enjoyment to the game developer.To understand the impact of the developed game on users, we conducted game testing with site visitors.A pilot test study was followed by a post-study questionnaire.The test group included expert users with previous experience at the Teos archaeological site and background knowledge of other sites.
Experts were chosen as a study group to create a more reliable comparison with existing applications, both on proposal applications, and for further development.The initial findings of the test showed that the test group successfully completed the artifact finding task in the site -treasure hunt-(Figure 3), and also the trivia quiz.However, it was found that the interface design, the game design components, and game mechanics need further development in future design stages.

CONCLUSION
Digital public archaeology increases the public interest and engagement with heritage.This digital form of public archeology involves engaging the user with archeology through mobile technologies, social media applications, and digital games.This study presents the design, implementation and initial prototype testing of a low-budget augmented reality game for an archaeological site.Model-based object tracking technology is used to create a semiautomated guided tour for an outdoor archaeological excavation site.To maintain the integrity of the site, a markerless object tracking system is used for this AR mobile game.In other words, the artifacts themselves became smart heritage objects, providing an improved immersive experience in the archaeological site.This paper illustrates the use of AR in a combination with gamification method at the Teos site, showing the effective application of the concept of gamified ambient information in the field of archaeology.
Figure 3 Detecting the artifacts, collecting coins and experiencing AR objects