Heritage-First Game Development How Design Thinking Shapes EXPLORE's Approach

Creating games that connect players with history and culture requires more than just engaging mechanics or appealing visuals. EXPLORE’s game development process shows how a heritage-first approach, guided by a classic design-thinking loop, can produce experiences that respect historical significance while offering compelling gameplay. This method focuses on understanding the true meaning behind heritage sites before deciding how players will interact with them.

Castel del Monte’s octagonal geometry as a design inspiration

Researching Significance Before Mechanics

The first step in EXPLORE’s process is empathize and research, but unlike typical user-first design, this stage centers on heritage significance. The team gathers detailed information about the site’s history, key figures, and unique features. For example, when working on Castel del Monte, they studied Frederick II’s biography, the octagonal geometry of the castle, and the golden ratio proportions embedded in its design.

This research results in a Statement of Significance that clearly explains what makes the site important and why it matters. This foundation ensures that every design decision respects the authentic story behind the heritage, rather than just using it as a backdrop.

Defining the Problem Through Heritage

Next, the team moves to the define stage, where the gathered significance material is distilled into a single narrative hook or “cipher.” This step is crucial because it frames the problem the game will let players solve, rather than simply applying a theme.

For Castel del Monte, the mathematical and aesthetic significance became the core puzzle: decoding the castle’s encoded geometry. This led to the creation of The Golden Cipher, a game that challenges players to explore the castle’s design through puzzles based on its unique proportions.

This heritage-anchored problem definition sets EXPLORE apart from typical design thinking, which often starts with user personas. Here, fidelity to the site’s significance is the primary goal, with playability layered on top.

Brainstorming Ideas That Fit the Heritage

In the ideate phase, the team generates ideas for game titles and formats, testing each against the site’s significance category. For example:

• Puzzle and cipher games suit sites with scientific or aesthetic importance.

• Narrative role-play games fit natural, cultural, social or historical significance.

  
  

This alignment ensures that the gameplay format enhances the heritage story rather than distracting from it.

Prototyping with Speed and Focus

Rather than building full games immediately, EXPLORE creates fast, low-cost prototypes. These might include:

• Interactive quizzes with scoring and feedback

• Mission paragraphs outlining player objectives

• Branding sketches and ad copy

  
  

These prototypes serve as testable artifacts, allowing the team to gather feedback early without heavy investment. This approach keeps the development agile and focused on what works best for conveying the heritage.

Manuscript: Gestorum Rhodie obsidionis commentarii (Commentaries on the Siege of Rhodes).Author: Guillaume Caoursin, Vice-Chancellor of the Knights Hospitaller and an eyewitness to the event.Location: Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF), Department of Manuscripts.Shelfmark: MS Latin 6067, folio 9 verso.Date: Circa 1483–1484.Artist: Illuminated by the Master of Cardinal de Bourbon

Testing and Iterating for Clarity and Engagement

The final stage involves repeated small passes of refinement. The team adjusts grammar, tone, and format variants to fit different contexts, such as museum panels, brochures, interactive presentations, or game interfaces. This iterative process sharpens the experience, making sure it communicates the heritage clearly and remains engaging.

By focusing on continuous small improvements rather than one big review, EXPLORE maintains flexibility and responsiveness to feedback.

Why Heritage-First Design Matters

EXPLORE’s approach shows that starting with heritage significance rather than user personas leads to games that honor the true story behind cultural sites. This method balances fidelity to historical truth with playability, creating experiences that educate and entertain.

For developers and heritage professionals, this approach offers a clear framework:

• Begin with deep research into what makes a site meaningful.

• Define a core problem or puzzle rooted in that significance.

• Choose game formats that naturally fit the heritage category.

• Prototype quickly to test ideas without heavy costs.

• Iterate often to refine clarity and engagement.

  
  

This process helps avoid superficial or inaccurate representations, ensuring that players gain a genuine connection to history.

Bringing Heritage to Life Through Games

EXPLORE’s work on sites like Castel del Monte and Rhodes demonstrates how games can be more than entertainment. They become tools for discovery, inviting players to solve puzzles, explore stories, and appreciate the unique features of heritage sites.

By following a heritage-first design-thinking loop, developers can create meaningful experiences that respect the past while engaging the present.

If you are interested in heritage game development, consider how this approach might shape your next project. Start with significance, define your problem clearly, and build from there. The result can be a game that truly brings history to life.