Enhancing User Participation in Cultural Heritage through Serious Games: Combining Perspectives from the Experience Economy and SOR Theory

Ru Zhang, Qianghong Huang, Jiacheng Luo, Junping Xu and Younghwan Pan ()
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Ru Zhang: Department of Smart Experience Design, Graduate School of Techno Design, Kookmin University, Seoul 02707, Republic of Korea
Qianghong Huang: Department of Smart Experience Design, Graduate School of Techno Design, Kookmin University, Seoul 02707, Republic of Korea
Jiacheng Luo: Department of Smart Experience Design, Graduate School of Techno Design, Kookmin University, Seoul 02707, Republic of Korea
Junping Xu: Department of Smart Experience Design, Graduate School of Techno Design, Kookmin University, Seoul 02707, Republic of Korea
Younghwan Pan: Department of Smart Experience Design, Graduate School of Techno Design, Kookmin University, Seoul 02707, Republic of Korea

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 17, 1-23

Abstract: The dissemination and preservation of cultural heritage has attracted much attention globally, and serious games play an important role in cultural heritage dissemination and preservation; however, it is not clear which experiences of serious games are effective in increasing people’s attention to cultural heritage. This study combines the experience economy and stimulus–organism–response (SOR) theory to construct a theoretical model to explore which experiences of serious games influence users’ behavioral intention to care about cultural heritage. We surveyed 302 users who experienced serious games and analyzed the data and measurement model using SPSS 27 and partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results showed that the four experiences of serious games (educational, entertaining, escapist, and esthetic) had a significant effect on users’ perceived value and memory and that perceived value and memory significantly influenced users’ participation. In addition, this study found that the entertainment experience was not only a key factor influencing perceived value and memory, but also the most significant factor directly affecting user participation. This finding provides specific recommendations for game developers and cultural heritage organizations to enhance user engagement. Enhancing the four experience dimensions and strengthening users’ perceived value and memory can effectively encourage users to pay attention to cultural heritage through serious games and contribute to the preservation and sustainable development of cultural heritage.

Keywords: cultural heritage; serious games; experience economy; SOR theory; perceived value; memory; participation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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