National Gallery - the Game
July 21 2022
Picture: NG
The National Gallery has launched a computer game, on Roblox, designed to appeal to younger children. There are various museum-y quests you have to accomplish, as you try and rise through the ranks 'from Apprentice to High Keeper'. Says the NG:
Developed through the pandemic, the project utilised Roblox as a platform for developing ideas with the children remotely. As children played and shared, the platform became an integral way for the project team to enable children to enjoy the National Gallery’s content off-site - taking the magic of immersive storytelling beyond the Gallery’s walls and into children’s homes.
Lawrence Chiles, Head of Digital at the National Gallery, London, says: ‘We are always looking to extend the opportunity to take the Gallery’s collection to audiences in new and innovative ways. The fact that they can learn about the paintings on a platform they find familiar, fun and engaging is great to see. It takes the Keeper of Paintings into a World of Keepers environment that has huge potential and it’s lovely to now have the characters in both a playful app in the Gallery and within Roblox. The way the project has evolved with the children through the design process is also really special.’
I tried to have a go, but my ancient computer can't cope with Roblox. (AHN readers who've noticed the website has looked the same since its inception, over a decade ago, will not be surprised.) But it looks like fun. Download it here.
Also, it will hopefully further demonstrate that to engage with audiences online, museums need to stop trying to control use of their images.
