Design of a virtual reality serious game for experiencing the colors of Dunhuang frescoes

Abstract With the rapid advancement of digital games, serious games have emerged as a significant medium for engaging with cultural heritage. As a primary visual element in cultural heritage, color plays a crucial role in users’ digital learning. However, there is currently a scarcity of serious game designs that specifically focus on cultural heritage colors, indicating potential for improvement in the user experience. To further enhance users’ perception of color and create a more engaging and enriching digital cultural heritage experience, this study proposes a virtual reality serious game (VR SG) design method specifically tailored to cultural heritage colors. Additionally, it explores the potential of VR SG in enhancing the education, entertainment, and dissemination aspects of these colors within cultural heritage. Specifically, we explore how to integrate relevant knowledge of cultural heritage colors into the application process of VR SG and assess users’ learning performance, engagement, and interactive willingness within these VR SG. The study employs the colors of the Dunhuang cave frescoes as a case study for design practice. A total of 30 participants took part in a between-group comparison experiment, utilizing a mixed-methods approach that combined quantitative and qualitative assessments to compare the performance of a VR SG with a VR exhibition game. The results indicate that both the VR SG and the VR exhibition game effectively enhance users’ understanding and retention of knowledge, with VR SG users demonstrating higher levels of task engagement, emotional engagement, willingness to explore, and willingness to share. This study confirms the potential of VR SG to enhance the education, entertainment, and dissemination aspects of cultural heritage colors and discusses the implications of VR SG in supporting digital cultural heritage experiences.