So, would you like to see them in museums/art galleries?

I'm currently assisting with the development of a virtual tour/game of a museum in the NW and I am going to be evaluating it for my MA dissertation to see if it's an effective interpretive method for the museum.

Any thoughts????

Well, there's already the Game On exhibition in the Science Museum. http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseu...es/game_on.aspx

It's regularly sold out, so there must be something appealing there. I went to it at a different venue with Jonman a few years ago and preferred the old layout, but the new version is pretty good too.

It's definitely popular, but what's the point of going to museum to play games that you could play at home? Versions of the exhibition spaces that are playable at home are definitely a good idea, but they might remove some of the funding from the museums.

I know about this. It closed in February and I just missed it

I mean do you think they should be used to interpret museums. Not have them in museums for people to play (i.e. a rank of PS2 games lined up that aren't related to the museum). Game On is a slightly different idea. It's an exhibition about computer games rather than a museum using them to interpret a collection.

What do you think about that?

Tetris belongs in a museum. It has major cultural and social significance. That game has done more to teach me than 9 years of public schooling, and I'm sure it has done the same for others.

I remember playing a game on the bbc micro at school called Grannys garden. 24 years ago and I can still rememebr the theme tune. it was a basic use x with y to solve problem a type game and the idea was to get us kids to think laterally. that game belongs in a museum. anybody else care to show their age and admit to remembering it?

I think my post title may have mislead people.

I see what you're saying but I'm not asking about what computer games should be in museums.

I'm asking whether they should be used as a method of interpreting a collection in a museum. For example, I've helped create a game for a museum that is along the lines of ICO/Tomb Raider and the character uses puzzles and clues about the objects as they move around the museum to find the exit.

Any comments on whether this is a good idea?

See here for another project that was done by a professional

http://teddie.beyondunreal.com/
Scroll down until you reach Cartwright Hall info

http://teddie.beyondunreal.com/CartwrightH...EventPhotos.htm

Howard Carter: The Game. I could go for that!

A game where you get to discover real artefacts in their historical locations, or where you have to find them hidden in the museum... That could be really cool.

Have you played Tomb Raider Legend? The main game is quite fun, but the best bit is Croft Manor. It's the big stately home, but set up with masses of puzzles and jumping tests. The complexity and depth of the challenge in that area is really fun. It wouldn't take a lot to imagine a museum game set up in a similar way, so people have to find the hidden treaures.

I'm working in game design now, and I'm very quickly seeing how many ideas for games that sound good just aren't good enough to be fun on a larger scale. It's really very difficult to make a game good enough that people want to spend hours with it. The challenge of a game of a museum will be complex:

How closely should you stick to the original layout of the building?
How long do you want people to play it? (People walk around a museum for a couple of hours, but that would be a very short game)
When people go into a museum they are usually only really interested in one or two sections, so how do you make the game adapt to what people are interested in seeing?
Should there be recreations of historical places, or just the museum?
How do you use the game to encourage people to visit the museum, not just play the game?

Very tricky! I wouldn't want to pitch that to my bosses!

Good questions, all of them. I'm going to pinch them and consider them when I'm evaluating my game if you don't mind

The game we came up with mainly figures on specific objects rather than the whole museum and you could render the whole thing if it wasn't massive. The museum we chose was small and still proved to be difficult. The game isn't finished yet but when it is, if I am allowed to and can figure out how to do it, I can send you the maps. It's using Unreal Tournament 2004.

Are the games going to be in the museum itself or something you give to people to encourage them to come to the museum?

I had a random idea of if they are in the museum, people could earn tickets (like in mall arcades) depending on how quickly they solve the puzzle, and redeem those for things in the store...could be incentive to come into the museum. Of course then you might have to charge to play the games in the museum to make that lucrative.

Either or. It's mainly to try and interact with people using something they are interested in. I'm going to be evaluating it with a group of teenagers as they seem to be a good target audience. Obviously not ALL teenagers play but a high percentage and as we move further into the 21st century people are going to be brought up playing games. Just think, in 50 years time, there won't be anyone who hasn't heard of computer games or has used them. There is still a generation who don't generally use them that much as the technology wasn't available when they were younger and growing up. Obviously that doesn't mean that older people don't use computers but they aren't a commonplace occurence like they would be for younger generations.



Charging is an issue as most national museums in this country are free to get into. I suppose, if you could ge the funding, you could offer incentives/prizes to people who solved puzzles but I'd need to look into the feasibility of this. Funders often put caveats on money awards so that can't happen. Interesting idea though. Thanks

*has played Simcity 2000 in the Science Museum!*