Intrigue at the Museum: Facilitating Engagement and Learning through a Location-based Mobile Game

The use of portable devices to explore informal learning environments has recently exposed museums to a mobile learning (m-learning) scenario. In particular, location-based mobile applications that take into account not only a specific physical venue, but also the personal and social context can be valuable resources to enhance the visitor experience. Game-based applications that leverage on fun and social interaction to facilitate the meaning-making process represent a promising approach, since they favor both learning and entertainment activities. This paper presents the design and evaluation of “Intrigue at the museum”, a location-based game addressed to children visiting Palazzo Madama-Museo Civico d’Arte Antica (Turin, Italy). This piece of work offers a methodological insight into the evaluation of engagement as a precursor of learning and provides evidence that a resource of this kind can contribute to a meaningful and enjoyable exploration of the museum by children.