Designing for Data: 3D Video Game to Gain Knowledge of the Ancient Minoans

Abstract

This paper presents research completed as part of a Lynne and Henry Turley Memphis Center Fellowship in the Arts. We have created an online game using a 3D model of an ancient structure from the Minoan period in Greece, ca. 1450 BCE. This game is designed not only to be an educational learning tool about ancient Minoan culture, but also to collect information about how people move within the structure. This game will allow researchers to analyze data and more accurately conclude how the structure would have acted as a domestic and ritual space. This paper both presents the game itself in its final version and discusses the process of collaborating as a multidisciplinary team interested in art history and game design. It includes information on the game design planning and creation process, especially how the team has been influenced by the field of digital humanities, and explores how this game will impact art historical conclusions about the Minoans.