April 2012 Volume 15 Number 2 - Educational Technology & Society

Table 6 shows that a HCG focuses on and makes use of the contextual elements in which the game is rooted.
Technically REXplorer can easily increase its context-aware interactions. However, it would require time, reflection
and communication with local experts and potential players in Regensburg to transform REXplorer from a digital
game that only delivers “local” information into a HCG game. The process would start by asking which on-site
elements can promote individuals’ immersion in the context and support their knowledge co-creation, instead of only
using generic fantasy elements with localized information.
Although our research yielded positive results, there were some real limitations. Firstly, because of its position (526
km northeast of Helsinki), the museum draws significantly less visitors than a museum located in a metropolis.
Consequently the study population is relatively small. Secondly, the researchers involved in the design process also
conducted the assessment surveys and thus a certain degree of subjectivity is unavoidable. In general, the small
number of users is not a problem for qualitative research, but it does limit the general reliability of the results.
Therefore, we are working on the evaluation of other games utilizing the HCG model.
The HCG stories in LieksaMyst are now being offered as a museum service but the evaluation has just started. It is
fundamental to understand the impact of LieksaMyst as a longitudinal study. Researchers need to differentiate
between the experiences of visitors who play the game for fun or as part of a school/work project. Additionally, as
technology evolves, we must reflect on how to keep LieksaMyst up-to-date. We need to employ new resources and
media in order to include other types of visitors with different learning and game preferences, while LieksaMyst
must be kept sustainable and affordable. Last but not least, it is essential to apply the HCG approach to other
contexts and fields in order to gain an understanding of how to successfully design games rooted in the player’s
context.
Acknowledgments
The authors of this paper would like to express their gratitude to the personnel of the Pielinen Museum and their
visitors; especially to Liisa Eskelinen and Marketta Haavila who have supported us unconditionally. We also want to
thank the National Board of Antiquities that has partially funded us.
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