Photo: Art by Aphrodite Theodora Andreou, from the game Valletta: Streets of History. 

On Saturday 28 October 2023, Dr Krista Bonello Rutter Giappone was an invited keynote speaker at the Associazione Culturale’s IVIPRO (Italian Video Game Program) Days event, hosted by the Trieste Science+Fiction Festival.

In her talk, Dr Bonello Rutter Giappone shared insights into the research process and decision-making that went into developing the location-based mobile augmented reality (AR) game Valletta: Streets of History (2023), about the history and cultural heritage of Malta. The game situates the player in the role of a detective-historian who unearths details from Maltese history and culture, which are not generally foregrounded in the textbooks. It gives players an opportunity to follow in the steps of a historian, including accessing primary sources and visiting historical sites in the capital city. Dr Bonello Rutter Giappone discussed the archival work and research that framed the creative endeavour of writing and designing the AR historical game.

The IVIPRO Days event is organised by Andrea Dresseno and Dr Stefano Caselli, with the Cultural Association IVIPRO - Italian Videogame Program. The IVIPRO project is motivated by the recognition that video games are ‘a creative tool with which authors can develop and players experience: an extraordinary imagination machine’ which can provide a ‘way to discover the world that surrounds us’ (IVIPRO), with the Program’s particular focus being on the dissemination of heritage and culture. The event featured talks and panel discussions, creating a forum for dialogue between academics, industry professionals, and critics.

Krista Bonello Rutter Giappone is a Research Support Officer with the Centre for Labour Studies, Visiting Senior Lecturer with the Department of English, and casual lecturer with the Institute of Digital Games and the Faculty of Arts.

The game Valletta: Streets of History was funded by Arts Council Malta, and the game development team also included: Dr Daniel Vella, from the Institute of Digital Games; Dr Renata Ntelia; Naomi Cutajar; Aphrodite Theodora Andreou; Yannis Brellas; Emmanuela Marla.