Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
HERITAGE, cilt.8, sa.6, 2025 (ESCI, Scopus)
The interpretation of archaeological heritage encounters inherent challenges due to the fragmentation and contextual loss of the physical site. Virtual reality has emerged as an innovative medium for enhancing user engagement and promoting meaningful dissemination of culture. This exploratory study investigates the design and preliminary expert-based evaluation of arkeOyun, a virtual reality game created to better understand archaeological sites' spatial and cultural significance, by sampling the K & uuml;ltepe Archaeological Site. The aim of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of virtual game-based approaches in the dissemination of cultural heritage and user interaction, emphasising spatial clarity, narrative integration, and immersive engagement. Our study incorporates qualitative and quantitative methods, utilising concurrent think-aloud and heuristic evaluation with participants who were selected due to their expertise in heritage, design, and human-computer interaction domains. Participants engaged with arkeOyun via a head-mounted display, and their real-time comments and post-experience evaluations were systematically evaluated. Results indicate that although participants responded positively to the game's immersive design, interface simplicity, and spatial organisation, notable deficiencies were seen in narrative coherence, emotional resonance, and multimodal feedback. Navigation and the presentation of informative content were seen as critical areas requiring improvement. The data triangulation revealed both consistent and varying assessments, highlighting the need for context-specific support, varied task structures, and emotionally compelling narratives for enhanced interpretation of cultural significance. The findings of our study illustrate the potential of virtual reality games as a medium for cultural heritage interpretation via arkeOyun. For experiences to evolve from immersive simulations to major interpretative platforms, it is vital to integrate narrative frameworks, multimodal scaffolding, and user-centred interaction tactics more deeply. The results of this exploratory pilot study present preliminary findings on integrating virtual reality games in archaeological heritage interpretation and contribute to further projects.