(IJACSA) International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, Vol. 12, No. 12, 2021 Learning Cultural Heritage History in Muzium Negara through Role-playing Game Nor Aiza Moketar 1 , Nurul Hidayah Mat Zain 2 , Siti Nuramalina Johari 3 , Khyrina Airin Fariza Abu Samah 4 Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Melaka Kampus Jasin, Melaka, Malaysia Lala Septem Riza 5 Department of Computer Science Education Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia, Bandung, Indonesia Massila Kamalrudin 6 Innovative Software System & Services Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka, Melaka, Malaysia Abstract—The traditional classroom-based teaching and learning of the History subject are ineffective and less interactive, influencing the students’ interest and motivation to learn history. Therefore, museum-based learning was proposed to supplement classroom-based learning for effective teaching and learning of the History subject. However, the excursions to the museum are often hindered by issues caused by the geographical location, the museum’s policies, and student commitments. The hindrances motivated the researchers to design and develop a role-playing game (RPG) in Muzium Negara (National Museum of Malaysia) known as ‘Waktu Silam’ to enhance students’ interest, motivation, and knowledge on the cultural and historical heritage of Malaysia. A survey questionnaire was distributed to assess the enjoyment level provided by the game. The results showed that 84.8% of participants had experienced the element of enjoyment in this game. This study anticipated enhancing the student interest and knowledge in history, enhancing visitors’ experience, and promoting tourism to Muzium Negara. Additionally, the project is expected to include multiplayer functionality to add more interactivity to the game in future works. Keywords—Muzium Negara; history; role-playing games; gamification; museum-based learning; enjoyable I. INTRODUCTION The History subject was made compulsory and a core subject for students by the Malaysian Ministry of Education in 1989 [1]. The subject has become a compulsory-pass subject for secondary school students sitting for the Malaysian Certificate of Education examination (Sijil Peperiksaan Malaysia/SPM) since 2013 [2][3][4]. This step proved that the History subject is vital for several academic reasons. The History subject’s main objective is to foster patriotism spirit towards the nation, creating the spirit of unity among people of different races and embedding a sense of pride to be Malaysians among students [1][2][3][4]. The content of the curriculum has undergone rapid changes since the colonial era until Malaysia achieved independence, and the entire chronology has been recorded in the syllabus. The syllabus of the History subject in the textbook comprises many facts and figures. Students need to memorize the facts to establish the connection between the chronology and to understand the concept of history [2][5]. As a result, the learners feel disinterested and unenjoyable in learning history as they cannot sense or comprehend the significance of such historical events [6]. Furthermore, the traditional classroom- based learning when teaching history is a teacher-centred approach that is proven ineffective and less interactive in enhancing students’ interest, motivation, and knowledge [7]. Traditional storytelling when teaching history can cause boredom among the students. Additionally, a study by Jaafar and Mohd Noor [7], and Napiah, Awang, Ahmad and Che Dahalan [2] stated that learning history is abstract in nature compared to visiting museums or historical places that are more realistic [2][8]. Students will find it more meaningful and practical to understand the history if they gain the experience and engage with the artefacts in the museum. Napiah et al. [2] showed that learning history in a real museum setting contributes a positive effect and helps students understand history better than in the classroom setting [2]. This scenario is an effective way to assist students in remembering chronological history without solely memorizing the facts. Museum-based learning was proposed to supplement classroom-based learning for effective teaching and learning in history [2][9]. Students are exposed to the genuine historical artefacts exhibited in the museum through this approach. They will gain new learning experiences by seeing, touching, and interacting with historical materials that are not available in classroom settings. Hands-on history learning will also be more fun and interesting. Furthermore, learning history in a museum setting also enhances the students’ understanding of the historical concepts taught in the classroom [8][10]. However, the excursions to the museum are often hindered by several issues due to the geographical location, the museum’s policies, and student commitments. Therefore, not every student will obtain the opportunity to visit the museum to explore and experience the exhibition. The issue has motivated the current study’s researchers to develop an RPG known as ‘Waktu Silam’ to give the targeted users the sense and enjoyment of virtually learning the historical content in the national museum of Malaysia, Muzium Negara. ‘Waktu Silam’ is in the Malay language, which means “the old days”. The researchers implemented game-based learning through the RPG genre to learn historical contents in This study is sponsored by the Indonesian Ministry of Research and Technology and Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia. 398 | Page www.ijacsa.thesai.org