INTRODUCTION
The xFORMAL game is based on real-life experiences supported by a digital tool: the smartphone. The game follows the model of a cultural pilgrimage, where the player starts from an initial station and proceeds through several stops to reach the end of the route. In some cases, within a single station (such as a city), there are multiple locations to visit. The theme linking all the routes focuses on the ancient peoples of Europe before the rise of Rome, and on the traces they left behind.
Among these, written culture plays a key role: when combined with material culture, it offers essential clues for understanding these communities. Of the seven available pathways, only one takes place entirely within a single city — Verona, in Italy. The others cover greater distances and, in some cases, require several days to complete.One of the seven routes, dedicated to the Celts in the West, is entirely virtual. It spans a vast area beginning in Italy, passing through France and Spain, and ending in Portugal.
The goal of the game is to promote informal learning about a shared part of European history that is rarely addressed in school curricula, yet belongs to the cultural heritage of all European citizens. By the end of the game, players will have encountered peoples such as the Veneti and Raeti in Italy, the Gauls in France, the Celtiberians and Iberians in Spain, and the Lusitanians in Portugal.
They will also have learned to recognise the alphabets used by these peoples, understand some of the texts they left behind, and gain insights into their customs, beliefs, funerary rites, and more. Another shared element across most of the routes — with the exception of the one set in Poland — is the gradual process of Romanisation, which took place at different times during the last two centuries BC. Local communities responded to this transformation in various ways.
As players visit cities along the routes, they will also discover Roman monuments and inscriptions, which they will learn to read and interpret.
Finally, the game also encourages players to connect with their local museum heritage, by exploring museums and archaeological parks along the way in an informal and independent manner. Players are invited to follow the instructions provided within the game, and to find solutions without asking museum staff for help.