Gamification in Virtual Reality Museums: Effects on Hedonic and Eudaimonic Experiences in Cultural Heritage Learning
Virtual museums powered by virtual reality (VR) technology serve as innovative platforms for cultural preservation and education, combining accessibility with immersive user experiences. While gamification has been widely explored in educational and entertainment contexts, its impact on user experie...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Informatics |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9709/12/1/27 |
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| author | Sumalee Sangamuang Natchaya Wongwan Kannikar Intawong Songpon Khanchai Kitti Puritat |
| author_facet | Sumalee Sangamuang Natchaya Wongwan Kannikar Intawong Songpon Khanchai Kitti Puritat |
| author_sort | Sumalee Sangamuang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Virtual museums powered by virtual reality (VR) technology serve as innovative platforms for cultural preservation and education, combining accessibility with immersive user experiences. While gamification has been widely explored in educational and entertainment contexts, its impact on user experiences in virtual cultural heritage museums remains underexplored. Prior research has focused primarily on engagement and enjoyment in gamified virtual environments but has not sufficiently distinguished between hedonic (pleasure-driven) and eudaimonic (meaning-driven) experiences or their impact on learning outcomes. This study aims to address this gap by comparing gamified and non-gamified virtual museum designs to evaluate their effects on hedonic and eudaimonic experiences, knowledge acquisition, and behavioral engagement. Using a quasi-experimental approach with 70 participants, the findings indicate that gamification significantly enhances hedonic experiences, including enjoyment, engagement, and satisfaction, while fostering prolonged interaction and deeper exploration. However, eudaimonic outcomes such as personal growth and reflection did not exhibit statistically significant differences. These results underscore the potential of gamified VR environments to balance entertainment and educational value, offering insights into user-centered design strategies for virtual museum systems that bridge technology, culture, and engagement. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-43ba650018da4ede9d0879839cab78ec |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2227-9709 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Informatics |
| spelling | doaj-art-43ba650018da4ede9d0879839cab78ec2025-08-20T03:43:16ZengMDPI AGInformatics2227-97092025-03-011212710.3390/informatics12010027Gamification in Virtual Reality Museums: Effects on Hedonic and Eudaimonic Experiences in Cultural Heritage LearningSumalee Sangamuang0Natchaya Wongwan1Kannikar Intawong2Songpon Khanchai3Kitti Puritat4College of Art, Media and Technology, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, ThailandCollege of Art, Media and Technology, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, ThailandFaculty of Public Health, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, ThailandDepartment of Library and Information Science, Faculty of Humanities, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, ThailandDepartment of Library and Information Science, Faculty of Humanities, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, ThailandVirtual museums powered by virtual reality (VR) technology serve as innovative platforms for cultural preservation and education, combining accessibility with immersive user experiences. While gamification has been widely explored in educational and entertainment contexts, its impact on user experiences in virtual cultural heritage museums remains underexplored. Prior research has focused primarily on engagement and enjoyment in gamified virtual environments but has not sufficiently distinguished between hedonic (pleasure-driven) and eudaimonic (meaning-driven) experiences or their impact on learning outcomes. This study aims to address this gap by comparing gamified and non-gamified virtual museum designs to evaluate their effects on hedonic and eudaimonic experiences, knowledge acquisition, and behavioral engagement. Using a quasi-experimental approach with 70 participants, the findings indicate that gamification significantly enhances hedonic experiences, including enjoyment, engagement, and satisfaction, while fostering prolonged interaction and deeper exploration. However, eudaimonic outcomes such as personal growth and reflection did not exhibit statistically significant differences. These results underscore the potential of gamified VR environments to balance entertainment and educational value, offering insights into user-centered design strategies for virtual museum systems that bridge technology, culture, and engagement.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9709/12/1/27virtual museumvirtual realitygamificationhedoniceudaimonicculture heritage |
| spellingShingle | Sumalee Sangamuang Natchaya Wongwan Kannikar Intawong Songpon Khanchai Kitti Puritat Gamification in Virtual Reality Museums: Effects on Hedonic and Eudaimonic Experiences in Cultural Heritage Learning Informatics virtual museum virtual reality gamification hedonic eudaimonic culture heritage |
| title | Gamification in Virtual Reality Museums: Effects on Hedonic and Eudaimonic Experiences in Cultural Heritage Learning |
| title_full | Gamification in Virtual Reality Museums: Effects on Hedonic and Eudaimonic Experiences in Cultural Heritage Learning |
| title_fullStr | Gamification in Virtual Reality Museums: Effects on Hedonic and Eudaimonic Experiences in Cultural Heritage Learning |
| title_full_unstemmed | Gamification in Virtual Reality Museums: Effects on Hedonic and Eudaimonic Experiences in Cultural Heritage Learning |
| title_short | Gamification in Virtual Reality Museums: Effects on Hedonic and Eudaimonic Experiences in Cultural Heritage Learning |
| title_sort | gamification in virtual reality museums effects on hedonic and eudaimonic experiences in cultural heritage learning |
| topic | virtual museum virtual reality gamification hedonic eudaimonic culture heritage |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9709/12/1/27 |
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