"Gaming and Cultural Heritage", new course at the National School of Heritage and Cultural Activities

In recent years, video games have transcended the boundaries of entertainment, establishing themselves as a true cultural language. Capable of telling stories, exploring complex themes, and creating immersive experiences, they are now recognized as an expressive tool by the cultural world. Museums, institutions, and cultural heritage professionals are increasingly looking to video games as a new form of narration and public engagement.

This awareness led to the creation of Gaming and Cultural Heritage. Designing interactive experiences for heritage, a training project promoted by the National School of Heritage and Cultural Activities in collaboration with IIDEA – Italian Interactive Digital Entertainment Association. The initiative aims to build common ground between the world of museums and video games, fostering the exchange of skills, languages, and professions to develop new forms of heritage narration and enjoyment that combine cultural dimension and technological innovation. The program will guide cultural sector operators and professionals in discovering the video game language, providing theoretical and practical tools to integrate game design logic into heritage enhancement processes.

A two-phase program

The project is divided into online training (October – December 2025) and an in-person Winter School (February – March 2026), to combine theoretical study, practical experimentation, and networking between culture and the creative industry.

Online Training

Four meetings hosted on this platform will introduce participants to the principles of game design and the connections between video games and cultural heritage. Participation is open to all and is a prerequisite for accessing the in-person phase.

Calendar

• October 28 – Fabrizia Malgeri, Homo (video)ludens. The video game that generates culture
• November 11 – Claudia Molinari, Game design and cultural heritage
• November 25 – Pietro Polsinelli, How to estimate and produce an applied game
• December 9 – Vincenzo Santalucia, Creating effective applied games

Winter School

The workshop phase will consist of an intensive three-day workshop dedicated to designing video game concepts for heritage enhancement. Participants, supported by university professors, developers, and designers, will work in groups until the public presentation of the projects.

Two editions are planned:

• Reggio Calabria, February 2026
• Bologna, March 2026

The Winter School will have a limited number of participants (20 per location). The selection announcement will be published between November and December 2025. The Gaming and Cultural Heritage program is part of the training offer of Dicolab. Culture to Digital, the training system for the digital transformation of cultural heritage promoted by the Ministry of Culture - Digital Library as part of the PNRR Cultura 4.0, implemented by the National School of Heritage and Cultural Activities and funded by the European Union - Next GenerationEU. For more information, consult the official website.