Archaeology and Video Games in Italy: preliminary insights into archaeologists' perspectives

The growing interest in the relationship between games, digital media, and archaeology, explored within the framework of archaeogaming, raises important questions about the role of games as tools for research, education, and heritage dissemination. Similarly, in Italy, there has been a flourishing of video game projects related to archaeology, with more than sixty projects developed in the last decade, considering only those with a significant ludic component. This explosion of productions should certify a significant increase in the archaeological field’s interest in the relationship between video games and archaeology. But can we truly make such an assumption? The fate of many of these products, disappearing quickly or never being decisively launched by the institutions that commissioned them, often suggests a lack of conviction about the effectiveness of the chosen medium, instead hinting at adherence to a trend. These considerations sparked an interest in investigating the genuine engagement and, more broadly, the relationship between Italian archaeologists and the video game medium. To explore this, an anonymous survey was conducted, using tools provided by Google Forms, which facilitated data collection and automatic storage via an Excel sheet. The survey was structured into six sections: demographics; personal relationship with videogames; experiences with archaeology-themed video games; the impact of archaeology on the gaming industry; use of videogames for educational purposes and experiences in designing videogame projects. The questions in these sections were formulated using various types of prompts: multiple choice, open-ended responses, and Likert scale questions. One of the main objectives during the design phase was to create a survey that could be completed in its entirety within a maximum of five minutes. This decision aimed to make it as user-friendly as possible and simplify participation. To achieve this, the choice of question types played a central role. The multiple-choice questions were the most widely used due to their versatility and simplicity, both for respondents and for data collection and analysis. The Likert scale was chosen for its ability to capture detailed and accurate data on attitudes and perceptions, facilitating both the understanding of results and the subsequent processing of the collected information. Finally, open-ended questions were used primarily to gather subjective opinions. After four months of data collection, it was considered appropriate to conduct a preliminary analysis of the results. In these initial months, approximately one hundred responses were collected, with the survey being distributed mainly through social networks and direct contacts. The first notable result was the difficulty in securing active participation from the target audience, partly due to the survey being launched during the summer. The most represented age group is around 30 years old, with an interesting and balanced distribution of academic qualifications, including master's degrees, bachelor's degrees and doctorates. In terms of profession, respondents are evenly divided among students, researchers (or similar roles), and freelance professionals. Two out of three respondents reported having had gaming experiences in a museum setting and considered them effective. From a professional perspective, most participants see opportunities for archaeologists, particularly in research and content writing There is considerable interest in the idea of creating video games to enhance audience immersion and engagement, with two-thirds of respondents considering this possibility. However, a significant portion believes that video games may not be the most suitable tool for dissemination. Among the primary criticisms, cost issues were frequently highlighted. Only a quarter of respondents had actively used video games in educational and outreach projects, often in roles involving research and content creation. These projects are evenly distributed in terms of scale, but their results are rarely analyzed, and when they are, they primarily rely on surveys. The potential of games, both digital and analog, as tools for rethinking archaeology and cultural heritage is vast but not without complexity. Archaeogaming demonstrates how games can provide new perspectives and opportunities, while also requiring awareness of dynamics that reinforce dominant narratives or limit diversity. Similarly, the Italian context reveals a strong interest in video games as a means of dissemination but also highlights structural barriers such as high costs, ambivalent perceptions of their effectiveness, and limited analysis of outcomes.