The Game of Heritage: Enhancing Virtual Museum Visits Through Gamification for Tourists

This study delves into the integration of gamification within virtual museum experiences, focusing on its effects on visitor engagement and knowledge acquisition. In today's digital cultural heritage landscape, virtual museums emerge as innovative platforms for the dissemination of educational and cultural content. This research specifically assesses the impact of gamified elements namely points, badges, and leaderboards on enhancing the visitor experience in a virtual environment dedicated to the Himmapan creatures, a crucial aspect of Thai mythology exhibited at the Roitawarabarn Baandhawalai Museum in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Utilizing a quantitative methodology that includes the user engagement scale and a knowledge acquisition questionnaire, this study compares visitor interactions between gamified and non-gamified approach of the virtual museum. The findings reveal that gamification substantially enhances visitor engagement, especially in aspects such as focused attention and rewards, and significantly boosts knowledge acquisition when compared to non-gamified experiences. These outcomes emphasize the crucial importance of integrating gamification strategies within virtual museums to cultivate an experience that is interactive, engaging, and educational for visitors.