Sociological (Re)search Games: Play and transfer cultural knowledge among social sciences, museum staff and publics

Abstract

Why do we possibly need Sociological (Re)search Games? EU Horizon 2020-27 is a new European program for research funding [1]. It establishes, as one of its core strategic ideas, the investment on projects about digital media, articulated with other areas’ instruments and resources, to develop innovative methods for knowledge production and transfer. At present, games are the faster growing segment of digital industry and services. And serious games constitute an efficient way of sharing knowledge, as a genre that teach or allow training various activities or skills, within a critical posture [2]. E.g., health skills; marketing or political campaigns; and cultural heritage qualifications for both professionals and publics at an art museum or gallery. This project's initial big idea is to demonstrate that digital games, and specifically serious games, can be used as one of the most operational research methodological tools, within any kind of knowledge, be it scientific, technical, artistic or other. As we will argue below, there is a lack of literature and game development on this behalf, in particular within Social Sciences. Therefore, our main purpose is to develop both (a) a Sociological reflection on serious games and (b) serious games’ practical tools, e.g. Sociological (re)search games for education and training on social and cultural processes. In particular, targets include universities and corporations that maintain partnership relations with cultural institutions as a museum or gallery, in order to develop knowledge transfer and sharing among them, and among them and other social actors, such as cultural publics.