International Journal of Electrical and Computer Engineering (IJECE) Vol. 12, No. 5, October 2022, pp. 5272~5278 ISSN: 2088-8708, DOI: 10.11591/ijece.v12i5.pp5272-5278  5272 Journal homepage: http://ijece.iaescore.com A digital game for preserving food cultural heritage: design and evaluation of ThaiFoodAdventure game Kannattha Chaisriya 1 , Lester Gilbert 2 , Ratchada Suwangerd 3 , Sasithorn Rattanarungrot 1 1 Department of Multimedia Technology Animation and Game, School of Informatics, Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand 2 Department of Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom 3 Department of Accounting, School of Management, Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand Article Info ABSTRACT Article history: Received Jul 3, 2021 Revised Apr 6, 2022 Accepted May 5, 2022 Digital games are a powerful tool for the presentation of food cultural heritage. A digital game was designed and developed to raise and enhance young people’s interest in and knowledge of Thai food cultural heritage, currently an under-researched field. The platform game was played on a mobile device and required the collection of food ingredients appropriate to popular cuisine in four Thai regions while overcoming obstacles. A sample (N=61) of young people (mean age=19 years) played the game, and the differences in their pre and post-test knowledge of and interest in Thai food and its cultural heritage were analyzed. The findings showed a highly significant increase in interest in and knowledge of Thai food cultural heritage, and did so despite the opinion of some participants that learning games were less interesting than conventional games, or that games were not a good way of raising interest in cultural heritage. Keywords: Cultural heritage Game Interest development Learning Preserving cultural heritage This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA license. Corresponding Author: Ratchada Suwangerd Department of Accounting, School of Management, Walailak University 222 Thaiburi, Thasala district Nakhon Si Thammarat 80160, Thailand Email: sratchad@mail.wu.ac.th 1. INTRODUCTION Food cultural heritage is a highly valued and distinctive characteristic of a region which covers ingredients, preparation, cooking methods, and eating decorum [1], contributing to its recognition and reputation, and positively influencing its economy [2]. It may be part of a national ethos that brings people together and builds a nation’s character [3]. Thailand is giving greater attention to preserving the tradition and authenticity of its food heritage. A four-year master plan to preserve authentic Thai cuisine from the increasing influence of foreign dishes is to be implemented between 2020 and 2024 [4]. However, food is an intangible cultural heritage that is harder to preserve than physical objects as it concerns the values, beliefs, behaviors, and rules of society. It may be lost if it is not appropriately recorded, preserved, and broadly promoted [3], and so increasing public interest and knowledge of food culture heritage is imperative. One way to raise public interest in cultural heritage is through a digital game. Games have become a part of today’s culture as much as books, movies, and other forms of media [5]–[7]. In his 1938 work Homo Ludens, Huizinga [8] noted that play is an essential component of all human culture. Generations of digital natives, immersed in the culture of computers and the internet, have grown up with video games and digital technology [9], [10]. Three out of every four people in the U.S. play video games and gamers average 14 hours per week playing video games, up from the 12 hours per week in 2018 [11]. Globally, the video game industry has grown extensively, with a market worth estimated at $138.4 billion in 2021 and a