Designing Serious Games for ICH education

The paper presents the experience matured in the i-Treasures project, in which 3D game-like applications were designed and developed with the aim of providing innovative tools for Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) education. The decision to develop Serious Games grounded on the specific learning needs linked to the nature of the ICH considered (dances, craftsmanship, singing expressions, etc.) and to the benefits that the research in Games Based Learning has pointed out regarding the use of games with educational purposes. In the paper, the i-Treasures game-like applications are described, with particular attention to the design and developmental process that was carried out with the involvement of a multidisciplinary team. In the game development, a huge effort was put into making the most of the benefits of games; these aspects will be discussed and highlighted. The difficulties met will be discussed as well, so as to provide a clear idea about the process and the issues encountered.