Learning history through location-based games: The fortification gates of the venetian walls of the city of heraklion

Abstract

Games in education have always been a tool for increasing motivation and interest of learners. We present Location-Based Games (LBG) as a tool to involve and motivate students in the learning process. LBGs require the player to move around in order to complete a task and proceed in the storyline and use localization technology such as Global Positioning System (GPS). LBGs are built on physical worlds, while virtual world augmentations enable the interaction of physical and other related (cultural, historical etc.) data with the player. Augmented reality (AR) is used to provide this extra layer with 3D objects, avatars and animations for player’s interaction. In our paper we present a history learning LBG with the use of augmented reality in the form of 3D objects. We explore the concept, of having both virtual and physical worlds available within the same visual display environment.