Games, from engaging to understanding: A perspective from a museum of computing machinery

Abstract

Science museums have a natural role in the building of public understanding of science. For some time now, museums are particularly focused on engaging the public: it is a necessary condition to raise interest and cause active responses from the public. In this context, gamification, that is the usage of game dynamics to drive participation, is a way to engage the public. The paper presents the experiences of the Museum of Computing Machinery of the University of Pisa in the adoption of gaming approaches for attracting and involving its public. Being a museum dedicated to computer science and its history, entertainment software has a noteworthy role. In particular, young people may be involved in projects aimed to the development of toy games and mods, two kinds of software artefacts that can still be faced as one-person projects – that is, simple, personal, and rewarding.