Daejeon, July 27–31
This workshop is an introduction to prototyping a game that engages an audience you, or a potential collaborator, find it difficult to reach - using low-tech and low-cost techniques.
Games of all types are increasingly being used in a variety of educational contexts as powerful tools to engage students in learning – particularly those who are typically disinterested (Backlund and Hendrix 2013; Fasce 2015; Holmes and Gee 2016; Abbott 2019; Bjørner et al. 2023). Through leveraging several key pedagogies inherent in game design, like active learner involvement and the structured progression of skills, Digital Humanities (DH) educators and scholars can start to develop games for their own tricky audiences (Backlund and Hendrix 2013; Fasce 2015; Holmes and Gee 2016; Abbott 2019; Bjørner et al. 2023). Through leveraging several key pedagogies inherent in game design, like active learner involvement and the structured progression of skills, Digital Humanities (DH) educators and scholars can start to develop games for their own tricky audiences (Boller and Kapp 2017; Acharya et al. 2018; Abbott 2019).(Boller and Kapp 2017; Acharya et al. 2018; Abbott 2019).
Games are also of immense interest to our close collaborators in the Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums (GLAMs) sector, as they continue to seek new and exciting ways to reach their audiences, both existing and under-serviced (Beale 2011; Seale et al. 2023; Booij 2024; Grace D et al. 2025). However, our doctoral research into the use (or lack thereof) of games in the Australian sector has shown a key barrier to game creation by GLAMs is a lack of knowledge and experience with the game design process. It is into such a gap that DH scholars might step, as valuable co-designers and experts.(Beale 2011; Seale et al. 2023; Booij 2024; Grace D et al. 2025). However, our doctoral research into the use (or lack thereof) of games in the Australian sector has shown a key barrier to game creation by GLAMs is a lack of knowledge and experience with the game design process. It is into such a gap that DH scholars might step, as valuable co-designers and experts.
As such, this workshop seeks to either introduce game design to your professional toolkit, or sharpen your existing skills! It is an introduction to prototyping a learning game for a specific audience, with a focus on low-cost and low-tech strategies for translating ‘boring’ topics and/or cultural collections into games. Drawing on our respective doctoral research and a range of design theories (Schell 2019; Tekinbas and Zimmerman 2003; Zubek 2020; Mulcahy and Witcomb 2018), this workshop combines theoretical frameworks in game studies and storytelling with practical applications for under-resourced DH scholars.(Schell 2019; Tekinbas and Zimmerman 2003; Zubek 2020; Mulcahy and Witcomb 2018), this workshop combines theoretical frameworks in game studies and storytelling with practical applications for under-resourced DH scholars.
Those attending the workshop will leave with a game prototype specific to a realistic ‘tricky’ audience (either decided by the attendee or chosen randomly by the facilitator), having briefly worked through the three key stages of the game design process – ideation, prototyping, and testing. The workshop also aims to develop attendee’s skills in applying this design approach, so they may continue to explore games within their own professional practice and with collaborators.
The workshop will cover the genres of interactive fiction (also known as choose-your-own-adventure), scavenger hunts, escape rooms, board games, and roleplay, as well as how these simple approaches could work across different modes (physical, digital, hybrid) or be scaled up with time and funding. It will also briefly cover ideas of ‘success’ and strategies to measure your game’s impact with its intended ‘tricky’ audience. This session will run as an interactive workshop, where attendees can work individually or with colleagues to create a prototype relevant to their own interests and challenges.
Delegates will need to bring a pen and paper to facilitate prototyping, otherwise all materials will be provided by facilitators. Based upon similar workshops we have run in Australia and internationally, we would expect upwards of 20 participants in person, and upwards of 50 online.
A loose agenda for the workshop is as follows:
00:00 Introduction of topic, researchers, and theory
25:00 Questions
30:00 Who are you? Activity
40:00 Brainstorming & Story mapping
1:00:00 Packing your bag (making decisions)
1:10:00 Genre as vehicle
1:20:00 Strategic mechanics
1:35:00 Audience experience
1:45:00 Break (15min)
2:00:00 Paper-prototyping
2:30:00 Testing prototypes
2:50:00 Conclusion and further resources
This workshop is specifically aimed at those who work within, or regularly collaborate with, cultural institutions like Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums, however is also open to anyone with an interest in game design or in the tricky problem of student engagement. Or just as an introductory dip into the world of low-tech game design techniques for those with no time and no money.
Sophia Booij is a PhD candidate at Adelaide University, researching strategies to promote the development of narrative-based learning games by and for Australian collections. She is currently working on an introductory ‘how-to’ game development guide for industry professionals, in partnership with the History Trust of South Australia. Her work is informed by a background in interactive fiction, digital humanities, museum studies, collections management, and digitisation. She is particularly interested in enabling and encouraging games that tell regional and rural Australian stories.
Nellie Seale is a PhD candidate at the University of Melbourne, researching how museums can use games for community engagement, visitor experience and educational outcomes, as well as the intersections of technology, communication, accessibility and education. Her academic background is in museum studies and world heritage, with a focus on Indigenous cultural heritage in Victoria. Nellie is also the director and co-founder of Melbourne Megagames where she runs large-scale role-playing events. She is interested in improving accessibility and diversity in games, as well as understanding how games are being used to drive change and how they can be used to communicate and motivate people on issues like sustainability. She is also a Teaching Associate at the Science Gallery Melbourne.