ABSTRACT

This chapter shows how a game or play perspective might help or change our understanding of threshold and the lobby. It argues that a playful approach to the lobby, informed by game design principles, could recast the lobby as a welcoming and engaging part of the visit. Theories of pervasive games and alternate reality games are particularly interesting as they address the challenges and benefits from playing in public spaces. The chapter explores which features of games can inform design decisions in the lobby space. It explores how a game can support the functions of the lobby, and how games can facilitate a seamless threshold transformation. The chapter also examines how can games be used as a tool for analysing the functions of a particular lobby. It reviews the possibilities for gamification of the lobby, discusses case studies and preliminary results, and explores how gaming the lobby might develop the understanding of the threshold at museums.