Design and Evaluation of a 2D Educational Game on Malaysian Cultural Heritage: Travel Game – Heritage Quest Journey to the Past
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32890/jcisc2025.4.16Keywords:
Cultural heritage, educational game, game-based learning, Lenggong Valley, usability evaluationAbstract
This study presents the design, development, and evaluation of Travel Game: Heritage Quest – Journey to the Past, a 2D educational game created to enhance awareness of Malaysia’s tangible cultural heritage, particularly the Lenggong Valley and the Perak Man. Developed using the open-source Godot Engine (v4.0) and guided by the Agile methodology, the project integrates interactive storytelling, puzzles, and non-playable character (NPC) dialogues to promote heritage learning through exploration and problem-solving. A total of 21 participants, including students and general users, took part in usability testing via online playthroughs and post-game surveys. Quantitative results indicated high usability and engagement scores (mean ≥ 4.6/5), while qualitative feedback revealed strong appreciation for the game’s visual design, narrative structure, and cultural content. Participants also demonstrated improved understanding of Malaysian prehistoric heritage after gameplay. These findings suggest that serious games can effectively complement heritage education by transforming passive learning into interactive, meaningful experiences. The study contributes to the growing body of digital heritage learning by offering a localized, culturally contextualized model for integrating educational games into both academic and tourism settings.
References
Abd Ghani, N.F., Akif Anuar, M.I. (2025). Hey Anak Malaysia! Jom Bermain: A Culture Cultivation Knowledge Educational Game. In: Mat Aji, Z., Romli, R., Packeer Mohamed, S.F., Saip, M.A., Herawan, T. (eds) Digital Innovation in Knowledge Management. KMICe 2024. Information Systems Engineering and Management, vol 49. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-91485-0_22
Abrahamsson, P., Salo, O., Ronkainen, J., & Warsta, J. (2017). Agile software development methods: Review and analysis. arXiv Preprint, arXiv:1709.08439. https://arxiv.org/abs/1709.08439
Aseprite. (2024). Pixel art tool for game developers. https://www.aseprite.org
Atlas V, Novelab, & Google Arts & Culture. (2020). The Dawn of Art [Virtual reality experience]. Google Arts & Culture. https://artsandculture.google.com/story/the-dawn-of-art/3wXx8DDIQ1S9Lg
CapCut. (2025). Video editing for storytelling. ByteDance. https://www.capcut.com
Cesaria, R., Ismail, S., & Rahman, N. (2020). Cultural-based educational games for Malaysian heritage learning. Journal of Humanities, Language, Culture and Business, 4(15), 46–58.
DaCosta, B., & Kinsell, C. (2022). Serious games in cultural heritage: A review of practices and considerations in the design of location-based games. Education Sciences, 13(1), 47. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13010047
Fam, K. S. (2025). Localizing cultural heritage through gameplay: The Upin & Ipin Universe. Asian Media Studies Journal, 11(2), 88–97.
Godot Engine. (2024). Godot Engine (Version 4.0) [Game engine]. https://godotengine.org
Google Forms. (n.d.). Create and analyze surveys and questionnaires for free. Google. https://www.google.com/forms/about/
ImpactGames.eu. (2024). Heritage Quest AR [Mobile application]. Impact Games. https://www.impactgames.eu/projects/heritage-quest-ar
Itch.io. (n.d.). An open indie game platform. https://itch.io
Lampropoulos, G., Siakas, K., & Anastasiadis, T. (2022). Digital games as tools for cultural heritage education: Engagement and learning through play. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 8, 100220. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2022.100220
Lenggong Valley. (n.d.). Lenggong archaeological heritage site. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1396
McLean, R. (2022). UNESCO World Heritage Sites Quiz [Online educational platform]. UNESCO. https://unescoquiz.org
Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia. (2020). Malaysia National Heritage Policy 2020–2030. Putrajaya: MOTAC.
Pressman, R. S., & Maxim, B. R. (2020). Software engineering: A practitioner’s approach (9th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
Rashid, M., Ibrahim, Z., & Othman, A. (2013). Promoting historical heritage awareness through education in Malaysia. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 85, 580–588. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.08.382
Sommerville, I. (2016). Software engineering (10th ed.). Pearson Education.
Streamline Studios. (2025). Upin & Ipin Universe [Video game]. Streamline Studios. https://www.streamline-studios.com
UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (2012). Archaeological Heritage of the Lenggong Valley. https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1396
Usability.gov. (n.d.). Usability evaluation basics. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/usability-evaluation.html
Usero, B., & del Brío, J. (2011). Cultural heritage and identity: The role of heritage management in sustainable development. International Journal of Heritage Studies, 17(5), 432–447. https://doi.org/10.1080/13527258.2011.577846
Ubisoft. (2019). Assassin’s Creed: Discovery Tour [Video game]. Ubisoft Entertainment
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Journal of Creative Industry and Sustainable Culture
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
Research impact
Harvested 2026-09-08Counts differ between services because each indexes a different body of literature. None of them is the whole picture.
