Although the widespread use of gaming for leisure purposes has been well documented, the use of games to support cultural heritage purposes, such as historical teaching and learning, or for enhancing museum visits, has been less well considered. The state-of-the-art in serious game technology is identical to that of the state-ofthe-art in entertainment games technology. As a result the field of serious heritage games concerns itself with recent advances in computer games, real-time computer graphics, virtual and augmented reality and artificial intelligence. On the other hand, the main strengths of serious gaming applications may be generalised as being in the areas of communication, visual expression of information, collaboration mechanisms, interactivity and entertainment. In this report, we will focus on the state-of-the-art with respect to the theories, methods and technologies used in serious heritage games. We provide an overview of existing literature of relevance to the domain, discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the described methods and point out unsolved problems and challenges. In addition, several case studies illustrating the application of methods and technologies used in cultural heritage are presented.

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Traditional approaches to learning have often focused upon knowledge transfer strategies that have centred on textually-based engagements with learners, and dialogic methods of interaction with tutors. The use of virtual worlds, with text-based, voice-based and a feeling of 'presence' naturally is allowing for more complex social interactions and designed learning experiences and role plays, as well as encouraging learner empowerment through increased interactivity. To unpick these complex social interactions and more interactive designed experiences, this paper considers the use of virtual worlds in relation to structured learning activities for college and lifelong learners. This consideration necessarily has implications upon learning theories adopted and practices taken up, with real implications for tutors and learners alike. Alongside this is the notion of learning as an ongoing set of processes mediated via social interactions and experiential learning circumstances within designed virtual and hybrid spaces. This implies the need for new methodologies for evaluating the efficacy, benefits and challenges of learning in these new ways. Towards this aim, this paper proposes an evaluation methodology for supporting the development of specified learning activities in virtual worlds, based upon inductive methods and augmented by the four-dimensional framework reported in a previous study.The study undertaken aimed to test the efficacy of the proposed evaluation methodology and framework, and to evaluate the broader uses of a virtual world for supporting lifelong learners specifically in their educational choices and career decisions. The paper presents the findings of the study and considers that virtual worlds are reorganising significantly how we relate to the

Abstract. This paper presents the results of a usability evaluation of the NeuroSky's MindBuilder -EM (MB). Until recently most Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI) have been designed for clinical and research purposes partly due to their size and complexity. However, a new generation of consumeroriented BCI has appeared for the video game industry. The MB, a headset with a single electrode, is based on electro-encephalogram readings (EEG) capturing faint electrical signals generated by neural activity. The electrical signals across the electrode are measured to determine levels of attention and then translated into binary data. This paper presents the results of an evaluation to assess the usability of the MB by defining a model of attention to fuse attention signals with user-generated data in a Second Life assessment exercise. The results of this evaluation suggest that the MB provides accurate readings regarding attention, since there is a positive correlation between measured and selfreported attention levels. The results also suggest there are some usability and technical problems with its operation. Future research is presented consisting of the definition of a standardized reading methodology and an algorithm to level out the natural fluctuation of users' attention levels when used as inputs.

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