Games, Learning, and Digital Heritage: Playable Past and Educational Future in the GameTable COST Action

This article explores the role of Working Group 5 (WG5) within the GameTable COST Action (CA22145), a pan-European initiative dedicated to the computational study and public dissemination of traditional games as cultural heritage. WG5 focuses on the educational and public engagement dimensions of this mission, translating research on historical games into pedagogical tools, participatory experiences, and digital applications. Organized into three focus groups, Education, Digital Exhibition, and the General Game System, WG5 has developed a range of outputs, including teacher booklets, glossaries, an artificial intelligence-assisted adventure game for educators, and a citizen science-enabled digital exhibition. It has also proposed a pan-European school tournament hosted on the Ludii platform, designed to promote game literacy and intercultural learning. Finally, WG5 contributes to GameTable's sustainability goals through plans for resource hubs, continued training programs, and museum partnerships. The article situates these activities within broader frameworks of game-based learning, gamification, and participatory digital heritage, demonstrating how games can serve as powerful tools for inclusive education, heritage interpretation, and cross-sector collaboration.