Potential of video games for future museum engagement and audience attraction: implications of two Nintendo cases

Abstract

This paper develops ‘museum-game engagement framework’ examining representation, interaction, and motivation dimensions to investigate video games’ role in visitor engagement and digital-native audience attractions for museums. The study investigates two cases: the Audioguide Louvre-Nintendo 3DS (AL-3DS), providing virtual Louvre exploration, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons (ACHN), enabling personal virtual museum creations. Through qualitative game content analysis and questionnaires from players, the study examines participants’ game experience and engagement perceptions and each case’s potential to generate real-world museum interest. Findings indicate that both cases effectively represent museum content digitally, facilitate meaningful digital museum interactions, and motivate real-world museum visits through different mechanisms. The AL-3DS enhance users’ understanding of and interest in visiting the Louvre, and ACNH builds confidence and general museum interest through museum creation experiences. Both games successfully connect digital and physical museum spaces, demonstrating video games’ potential as museum engagement tools and providing practical implications for future museum-game collaborations.