Winter School, an intensive workshop-based training dedicated to designing video game concepts for the enhancement of cultural heritage

Rome, 11 December 2025 – Applications are now open for Winter School 2026. The Winter School is the workshop-based phase of a training project that explores the relationship between culture and video games. “Gaming and Cultural Heritage: Designing Interactive Experiences for Heritage”. Designing Interactive Experiences for Heritage”.

This training initiative is organised by the Scuola Nazionale del Patrimonio e delle Attività Culturali, with specialist support from IIDEA (Italian Interactive Digital Entertainment Association), which unites the leading figures in the Italian video game industry.

Winter School 2026 will take place in two editions:

  • The Southern Edition will take place in Reggio Calabria from 19 to 21 February 2026
  • Northern Edition: Bologna, 2–4 March 2026

Applications for the 20 places available for each edition must be submitted online through the dedicated platform no later than 2 pm on Monday, 12 January 2026.

The programme is intended for professionals engaged in enhancing cultural heritage and working within cultural institutions.

Following a preparatory online training course, Winter School 2026 offers participants three days of in-person activities focused on designing playful and interactive experiences as tools for generating new forms of access to, participation in, and interpretation of cultural heritage.

The programme includes lectures, keynote speeches, national and international case studies, and hands-on activities guided by experts in game design, communication and cultural heritage. The aim is to provide participants with the skills needed to integrate video game language into heritage enhancement projects.

By connecting cultural heritage professionals and scholars with developers and designers, the programme promotes an interdisciplinary approach oriented towards experimentation and the development of innovative solutions.

In recent years, video games have transcended their entertainment origins to establish themselves as a fully-fledged cultural language. They are capable of telling stories, exploring complex themes and creating immersive experiences, and are now recognised by the cultural sector as a powerful expressive medium.

Examples include the renowned Assassin’s Creed Discovery Tour series, which allows players to explore ancient Greece, Egypt, the Viking Age and medieval Baghdad; Friuli Venezia Giulia Reload, a customised Fortnite map that enables users to discover virtual versions of major Friulian cities, promoting tourism in an innovative way; and No Signal – Marconi the Game, a mobile app developed by the Municipality of Bologna, Incredibol, Bologna Game Farm and the Emilia-Romagna Region, in collaboration with the Guglielmo Marconi Foundation and Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna, in which players can learn about the inventor’s life and recreate his most famous experiments.

Museums, institutions and cultural heritage professionals are increasingly turning to video games as a new form of storytelling and audience engagement.

This initiative establishes common ground between the worlds of culture and video games, fostering dialogue between different languages and professions. It also strengthens the digital skills of cultural sector professionals and supports the digital transition of cultural institutions, in line with the National Plan for the Digitalisation of Cultural Heritage (PND).

The “Gaming and Cultural Heritage” programme forms part of Dicolab’s training offerings. It is part of Cultura al Digitale, the training system for the digital transformation of cultural heritage promoted by the Ministry of Culture’s Digital Library within the framework of PNRR Cultura 4.0. It is implemented by the Scuola Nazionale del Patrimonio e delle Attività Culturali and funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.

Call for applications: https://bit.ly/bando-gaming-winter-school

For information:
https://www.fondazionescuolapatrimonio.it/gaming-e-beni-culturali/
https://www.fondazionescuolapatrimonio.it

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