Giulia Miniero (Associate Professor of Marketing, Chair Business and Economics division at Franklin University Switzerland) and Marta Pizzetti (Assistant Professor of Marketing at Emlyon Business School) published a chapter on "Games and Museums: A Novel Approach to Attracting and Retaining Audiences." in “The Oxford handbook of Arts and Cultural Management”.
In their study, Pizzetti and Miniero investigate how digital experiences, specifically gamification, virtual tours, and podcasts, are perceived by museum visitors and how they contribute to overall improvements in the museum experience.
As cultural institutions, museums have a vested interest in audience development and engagement, and the implementation of digital experiences has become an increasingly popular approach to achieving these goals. Through an experiment, Pizzetti and Miniero explored the differential effects of three different digital experiences (e.g. gamification, podcasts, and virtual tours) on critical variables such as perceived authenticity, intention to interact with the digital experience, the novelty of the experience, and attitude toward the museum.
The results of the study suggest that gamification can be a particularly effective approach for museums looking to attract and retain audiences. Visitors perceived the gamified digital experience as both novel and authentic and were willing to engage with the digital tool. Furthermore, the use of the gamified experience led to a more positive attitude toward the museum itself.
The study's findings have significant implications for cultural institutions seeking to engage audiences in innovative and interactive ways. By incorporating gamification into their digital experiences, museums may be able to better connect with younger generations and improve visitor experiences overall.