Cultivating Cultural Immersion Through an Extended Reality-Based Digital Board Game in Social Studies

This chapter presents a pioneering exploration into using Extended Reality (XR) technology to enhance cultural education within social studies, explicitly focusing on British culture. Using the advanced capabilities of Microsoft HoloLens 2, we developed an XR board game that integrates four vital interactive elements: die rolling, playing board, message board, and a task area. This immersive digital board game aims to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of cultural nuances among students. The study involved twenty-six undergraduate students from a 4-year research-intensive university in South Korea. These participants engaged in a comprehensive usability test designed to evaluate the impact of XR-based simulation on their levels of immersive engagement and task-related workload. In this chapter, we delve into the intricate details of the game’s components, interfaces, and interactions, supplemented with visual examples to better understand the game’s mechanics and educational potential. Furthermore, we present the usability testing findings, emphasizing the participants’ immersion and their perception of the task workload. The present research offers a glimpse into the future of educational technology and its potential to transform traditional learning environments, making the study of culture an engaging, interactive, and enriching experience.