Gamification techniques in tourism, application test, Casa Mosquera Museum

Abstract

The use of Information and Communications Technologies in the tourism sector is a topic of a great actuality, because of its capability of adding interactive elements and promoting “new” environments. This paper presents a pilot experience using a serious game developed for the Mosquera House Museum, during the Holy Week 2015. The experience was pretty positive because of its capability to encourage learning and reception of information by museum visitors. Both, tourists and museum staff mention that the application was a key to improve –by appending interaction and dynamism– the experience, and they suggest similar developments for other places. The pilot also showed that both, the Wi-Fi access throughout the museum, and the possibility to download the application from an on-line store (e.g., Play Store, App Store), are required, in order to avoid the loss of potential users. This type of application can revolutionize the tourism industry by introducing more scenarios, because these are so attractive for visitors. The modern world and the current technological environment are ideal for the evolution of applications of gamification techniques, not only in tourism, but in other aspects of everyday life.