Medieval craftsmen at castle Waldenfels historical construction work as serious game

Reliving the medieval past is an important economic factor in Europe, physically as well as digitally. The broad public interest in the Middle Ages is still continuing, including all aspects of medieval life and culture, in media and as events on historical sites. Also the gaming community has a strong affinity towards medieval contents which is clearly visible in numerous popular titles and an ever-growing market. There is probably a substantial overlap between those two communities. Our approach envisions a serious game for both communities, to provide education on historical construction techniques and foster motivation for preservation of built heritage. Thereby we put a focus on the conceptual game design based on historical research and a reference to a heritage site. The implementation was done as a proof of concept. The idea has been realized with the listed heritage castle Waldenfels in Upper Austria. The context of the game is set by the medieval building phase of the castle which is only partially preserved. Its content focuses on medieval professions in construction, including their tools, materials and methods. The game´s target audience are local people, tourists with an interest in castles, architecture students, as well as craftsmen and conservators. The benefit of using contemporary communication strategies like serious games for traditional construction techniques lies in the vitalisation of intangible heritage for an interested audience. Thus, the game aims to motivate and educate its audience to participate in preserving local tangible heritage as a community effort. We see our approach as a contribution to a sustainable living heritage that is supported by an involved community.