Exploring Saudi Gamers’ Perspectives on Historical Characters in Digital Games

Digital games have recently increased in popularity, becoming a cultural phenomenon and a new way to explore historical characters, which aligns with the ambitious Saudi Vision 2030. This study aims to understand Saudi gamers’ perceptions of historical characters and the factors that shape their preferences. A quantitative descriptive approach was used, where a questionnaire was applied to 104 individuals who participated in events organized by the Saudi Digital Games Association and the Saudi Esports Academy. The results indicate that historical characters can enhance the appeal and engagement of digital games. In addition, they highlight the need for developers to gain insights into Saudi gamers’ preferences regarding historical periods and historical characters’ characteristics. It was concluded that the dynamic interaction between players and the virtual world of the game, which includes historical characters, can increase the attractiveness of the game and the players’ experience at all levels of entertainment, culture, and historical knowledge, reflecting the distinctive features of Saudi history. Future studies focusing on other elements of the digital game, such as story, period, or aspects of tangible and intangible heritage, are suggested.