Stamp-Based Gamification as Low-Tech Immersive Media in Museums

Abstract

In the field of immersive media and user experience, museums are increasingly understood as hybrid media environments in which physical space, narrative structures, and interactive interfaces jointly shape the visitor’s experience. Gamification has emerged as a key tool in this process; however, its immersive function—particularly in non-digital forms—remains insufficiently theorized. This article analyzes the stamp-based gamification model (“passport with stamps”, hereafter SBM) as a form of low-tech immersive media that structures visitor movement, attention, and motivation across different museum contexts.

The study employs a qualitative cross-case analysis combined with a research through design (RtD) approach, examining multiple institutions, including natural history, archaeological, historical, and literary museums, as well as educational observatories. Empirical material consists of project documentation and systematic observations of visitor behavior, interpreted through predefined UX criteria. Immersion is operationalized through three user experience modes—cognitive, aesthetic, and narrative—captured via indicators such as route completion, dwell time, and interaction style.

Findings indicate that stamp-based gamification mediates immersion in a context-dependent manner. Route completion rates range from 78% among adult visitors in narratively structured museums to 42% among children in visually fragmented natural history settings, revealing significant variation in how the same mechanic supports different immersive outcomes. The results show that materiality, bodily action, and temporal sequencing play a central role in sustaining engagement, even in the absence of digital technologies.

The study contributes to immersive media and UX theory by arguing that low-tech, embodied, and temporally structured interactions can function as immersive media when they are coherently integrated into spatial and narrative scenarios. Based on the comparative analysis, the article proposes theoretically grounded design principles for low-tech immersive media, emphasizing alignment with spatial logic, bodily engagement, and control over experiential rhythm.