Digital Archaeology in Schools: The Use of Archaeological Games in Public Education in the State of São Paulo in Brazil

Abstract

Through the presentation of two case studies, this paper aims to discuss digital archaeology’s possible impacts on public education in the State of São Paulo (Brazil). First, the potential of the application of digital games in schools and concepts of immersion and interactivity to support new perspectives on the use of different forms of learning will be presented. Furthermore, the essential necessity to develop free, accessible, and scalable products in the face of the challenges imposed by the current conditions of Brazilian public education teaching programs will be demonstrated. The case studies are based on two digital games Sambaquis – Uma História antes do Brasil, and O Último Banquete em Herculano, developed respectively by the research group Arqueologia Interativa e Simulações Eletrônicas (ARISE) and the Laboratório de Arqueologia Romana Provincial (LARP), both based at the Universidade de São Paulo (Brazil). To conclude, possible reflections on the future of archaeology allied to technological development and its probable applications in education will be addressed.