Reviving WAU: Enhancing cultural understanding through instructional design in game applications

Traditional Malaysian games such as Wau have been losing their significance with young people because modern digital games are dominating their lives. This quantitative research was done to see the effectiveness of integrating Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction into a Wau game application in terms of facilitating learning about these traditional games. The approach involved structured learning on how to play a Wau before introducing cultural content, aligning with Gagne’s model. The general analytical approach to designing, developing, implementing, and evaluating instructional content in this game followed the ADDIE framework. From the study, it is surmised that the use of instructional events such as "Gain Attention" and "Elicit Performance" would have effectively helped in the mastering of the gameplay and further facilitate understanding of the Wau traditional game. Some recommendations are made to refine the instructional content to enhance appeal and effectiveness. Future research will focus on wider user testing and iterative design to ensure both educational outcomes and cultural relevance.