Exploring the Synergy of Videogames in Visitor Engagement and Advancing Museum Digitalisation-Two case studies from Nintendo

As technologies are ever-changing, to advance museum digitalisation, enhance visiting experience, attract younger audiences and bridge gaps between museum spaces and the digital world, videogames, which developed simultaneously with museum digitalisation, have been incorporated into museum practices. But most academic research focuses on the value of videogames as digital heritage, few studies have considered videogames as digital approaches in advancing museum digitalisation. This research aims to investigate the role of videogames in helping museums achieve their digitalisation purposes, their mutual impact and people’s perceptions of videogames as part of museums digital practice using two typical examples: The Audioguide Louvre - Nintendo 3DS (AL-3DS) and Animal Crossing New Horizon (ACNH). The research analysed the content of two games, conducted questionnaires with AL-3DS users and ACNH players and held semi-structured interviews with AL-3DS users. Results for the AL-3DS study indicate that traditional museums can use videogame mechanisms to offer visitors a more immersive and flexible museum experience by replacing or complementing traditional audioguides and recreating certain elements of physical museums in virtual spaces. The ACNH example proves that adding museum elements to videogames can enhance overall gaming experience and help players understand every aspect of real-world museums, providing players with a digital experience surpassing traditional museum visits. Together, the case studies demonstrate that utilising videogame technologies to either recreate museums in a virtual space or experience the resemblance of real-world museums in games, can increase players’ interests in visiting real museum. Furthermore, both cases demonstrate that videogames can assist museums to eliminate boundaries between physical spaces and the digital world, helping them achieve their digitalisation goals, rather than making digital concepts or equipment in museums remai