Embodied cognition model for museum gamification cultural heritage communication a grounded theory study

The integration of gamification into museum experiences has emerged as a promising approach for cultural heritage communication, yet tensions persist between maintaining professional content integrity and creating engaging visitor experiences. This study explores how to construct an effective museum gamification communication paradigm through embodied cognition theory. Using grounded theory methodology to analyze semi-structured interviews with 23 participants of the “Canal Mystery” exhibition, we identified eight key factors across four dimensions: experience foundation and experience mapping (mapping dimension); sensory, functional, and interactive experience (perception dimension); scene and social experience (situational dimension); and emotional identification (meaning construction dimension). Our theoretical model demonstrates how these factors collectively influence communication effectiveness. Findings reveal that successful museum gamification depends on activating audiences’ bodily experiences, creating multi-sensory environments, facilitating contextualized understanding, and fostering emotional connections. This research provides a systematic framework for museums to balance professional integrity with engaging experiences in cultural heritage communication.