Please, Touch the Artwork: How a Video Game can become an Extension of a Museum Exhibition

Please, Touch the Artwork 2 is a free cozy hidden-object video game in which the player is not only allowed, but encouraged to interact with the artworks presented. With its interactive and immersive elements, in which the player is free to roam through James Ensor’s paintings, the game provides a nuanced and enjoyable experience of the artworks which goes beyond what static, “traditional” museum exhibitions can offer. If in a visual art exhibition it is only possible to observe an artwork, and often not closely, Please, Touch the Artwork 2 offers the possibility to feel immersed with the art, closely observe the details, and interact with the environment and the characters within it. Although video games are an increasingly utilized and relevant medium in modern society, they are still severely understudied in the context of how they can become extension of museum exhibitions. This thesis aims at contributing to this field by researching which interactive and immersive elements of the video game Please, Touch the Artwork 2 can create an enjoyable and nuanced experience that allows players to engage with art in ways that extends beyond the experience of a traditional museum exhibition. To answer the research question, a qualitative content analysis of the case study was conducted. The main theories utilized to construct the theoretical foundation of this thesis are based on key concepts related to interactivity, immersion and flow in video games, specifically from known scholars such as Brenda Laurel and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, together with the relevant theories of Mata Haggis-Burridge. A comprehensive coding tree and codebook were constructed based on the scholars’ theories to conduct a rigorous content analysis of the data retrieved through annotations and screenshots of the game. The qualitative content analysis showcased three emerging themes, which are key to answering the research question. As will be discussed in this dissertation, it is the character interaction, the environmental interaction and immersion and the flow elements which contribute to creating an enjoyable and nuanced experience of art which goes beyond the limitations of a traditional museum exhibition. Thus, effective game design combined with interactive and immersive elements, such as engaging characters and immersive virtual worlds, are key elements that Please, Touch the Artwork 2 can create to allow visitors to experience the artwork in a nuanced and enjoyable way.