A Study on Design Methods for Cultural Heritage Educational Games: A Case Study of the Bainiao Chaofeng Gongche Notation

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-737-8_10How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Intangible Cultural Heritage; Educational Games; Game Design; Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix (Baibiao Chaofeng) Gongche Notation

Abstract

In the context of digitalization, the transmission of traditional music as Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) faces challenges such as declining performance contexts and limited engagement among younger audiences. Existing studies indicate that while digital media and gamification can enhance learning engagement, most approaches remain focused on general educational applications, lacking systematic methods for integrating musical structure and cultural meaning into interactive design. Therefore, this study asks: how can traditional music, particularly Gongche notation (Gongchi notation is one of the traditional systems of musical notation in China. It employs characters such as “Gong,” “Chi,” “Shang,” “Si,” “Wu,” “Liu,” and “Yi” to represent relative pitches, and is primarily used for the documentation and transmission of traditional opera and folk music.) be transformed into an interactive educational game that supports both musical understanding and cultural cognition?

To address this question, this research proposes a design methodology for cultural heritage educational games, structured across three dimensions: cultural content, game mechanics, and interactive experience. Taking the Gongche notation of Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix (Bai Niao Chao Feng (Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix) is a quintessential work in the traditional suona repertoire. Employing onomatopoeia to mimic the calls of birds, it evokes the musical imagery of “a hundred birds singing in unison.” Characterized by its rich structure and diverse techniques, the piece possesses significant artistic merit and serves as a highly representative example of the genre.) as a case study, the research explores the transformation of musical elements into interactive forms through rhythmic interaction, audiovisual feedback, and narrative context.

The results demonstrate that embedding musical structure into gameplay promotes active participation and enhances both engagement and comprehension. This study provides a structured approach for integrating traditional music into interactive media, contributing to the digital dissemination and educational application of ICH.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Huining Yang
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/08/18
TI  - A Study on Design Methods for Cultural Heritage Educational Games: A Case Study of the Bainiao Chaofeng Gongche Notation
BT  - Proceedings of the 2026 5th International Conference on Art Design and Digital Technology (ADDT 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 61
EP  - 67
SN  - 2352-538X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-737-8_10
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-737-8_10
ID  - Yang2026
ER  -