This project aims to create an on-site gamified experience for children through the development of an interactive narrative. Designed to support guides and teachers during visits, this tool will enrich the educational experience during the visit at the museum. We plan to install touch screen displays next to key exhibits, allowing guides to complement their oral presentations with interactive content. The narrative will revolve around a selection of objects, each linked to a specific episode of the story. Each episode will feature quizzes, games, and educational information about ancient Egypt. This interactive format enables children to engage directly with the story, solve quizzes, and participate in educational games, making learning more enjoyable and engaging.

By integrating multimedia content with the guides' oral presentations, this approach enhances young visitors' understanding and interest. The interactive platform, built using Twine, allows for easy updates and adaptations to include new objects or themes, keeping children's attention engaged over time.

Before developing the project, we conducted an in-depth investigation into the Archaeological Civic Museum of Bologna. This research focused on the museum's history, location, collections, strengths, weaknesses, and aspirations, with particular attention to its Egyptian exhibition.

In summary, this project aims to create a more stimulating educational experience during visits by using an interactive narrative that combines historical learning with gamification strategies. It provides valuable support to guides and teachers, making the educational process more dynamic, fun and effective.

The digital asset is available at this repository.

The Archaeological Civic Museum of Bologna (Italian: Museo Civico Archeologico di Bologna) was founded in September 1881 by the merging of two separate museums: the one belonging to the University of Bologna – heir of the Room of Antiquity belonging to the Academy of Sciences founded by Luigi Ferdinando Marsili in 1714 – and that belonging to the City of Bologna, enriched by the antique collection of Artist Pelagio Palagi (1860) and the large amount of finds from excavations conducted in and around Bologna during these times.

This museum is among the most important in terms of archeological finds in Italy and is highly representative of the local history from prehistoric period to Roman Age.

The museum currently holds the following collections: Prehistoric, Etruscan, Celtic, Roman, Greek, Egyptian.

The Egyptian Collection

The Egyptian collection of the museum is renowned as the third most significant in Italy and a notable one in Europe. It comprises over 3,500 artifacts, such as sarcophagi, steles, and ushabti figures, documenting 3,000 years of Egyptian civilization. Initially amassed by painter Pelagio Palagi and donated to Bologna in 1861, it expanded in 1881 with approximately 100 objects from the Regio Museum of the University, and continued to grow through additional acquisitions. A revival of scholarly interest began in 1960, resulting in the restoration, study, and temporary exhibition of the materials. The collection underwent reorganization in 1994, adopting new exhibition standards. Presently, the display is divided into three areas: reliefs from the Saqqara necropolis, materials arranged chronologically from the beginning of Egyptian history to the Roman era, and exhibits on key aspects of pharaonic society, including writing, funerary worship, and magic. The modern arrangement provides a chronological exploration from the Old Kingdom to the Ptolemaic era, with detailed sections on funerary equipment, writing, and amulets.