While there we looked for similar digital games, or interactive media on display in the museum to help progress with our game idea. However we soon found that the interactive elements Jac remembered within the keep had gone, at least at the time of our visit.
Following the trip to the Castle Museum I shared Jac's disappointment about the lack of interactive digital games or displays. However I later contemplated the time at the museum, things which seemed unrelated to what we were looking for were actually more meaningful than first expected.
As soon as we stepped into the museum we spotted our target audience, there was a school group coming to see the exhibits and explore the castle. We soon found out that there were actually at least two school groups visiting on the day. It was useful to see what the children were interested in, mainly the taxidermy and the interactive parts of the exhibits.
The museum seemed to be really trying to get children interested about the exhibits, with all sorts of activities for the school parties that go there. During our visit of the castle we saw numerous staff or volunteers dressed up in Celtic and Roman attire, even getting the children to march like they were in a Legion! As well as a drawing and colouring exercise set up in the gallery, seemingly to inspire them to think artistically.
The interactive elements included build-able bridges, to physically demonstrate the strength of an arch under the influence of gravity. Trebuchets to show the weaponry which was used to attack castles at the time. Sliding puzzle games to help children engage with certain pieces of artwork, as well as providing facts underneath the tiles which were revealed whilst completing the puzzles.
As the game we are creating focuses on artwork I considered the practicality of the puzzles for children. While there I attempted to complete one of the art puzzles, but did not finish due to time constraints. The problem I encountered with puzzle was that the tiles would often get stuck, and the person would spend more time trying to get them to move than figuring out how to complete it. While my limit was time constraints, a child would more likely to be affected by their attention span. The constant encountering of physical problems I would assume would likely put a younger person off completing the puzzle, therefore they would not fully engage with the only aspect of the art gallery designed for them.
Overall the museum seemed to be trying very hard to get the next generation interested in art and history. However there were possible limitations with the current art puzzles being not too user friendly. An interactive art game directly using existing artwork at the museum to help engage with children seemed like it would fit in with current displays. Our target audience would find it approachable and hopefully take away the idea that artworks should be restored and not left to be damaged beyond repair.
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