Gamification of architectural history education in digital environment: The case of Suleymaniye Mosque

Architecture is a discipline that combines aesthetics and functionality and reflects cultural and social values beyond meeting the needs since the existence of humanity. Architecture, which is in cooperation with many disciplines, tells the evolution of the cultural and historical aspects of societies from the past to the present. In this context, architectural education, which prepares architect candidates for the future, offers a multifaceted development by ensuring that students acquire not only professional knowledge and skills but also historical, intellectual, and cultural awareness. The discipline of architectural history, which is one of the cornerstones of architectural education and forms the bridge between us and the past, is an important field that shapes the basic knowledge we use in our professional life, our architectural understanding and design approaches, and carries the accumulation from the past to the future. Architectural history courses help us understand the transformation of architecture in the historical context, building techniques, and cultural and social effects, and form a foundation that carries the architectural heritage of the past to the present and the future. This thesis proposes a new model for the integration of alternative approaches into architectural education, especially in architectural history courses, and the application of new teaching methods to provide students with a more effective and interactive learning experience. With the literature review in this direction, the gamification method in cooperation with technology is presented as a suggestion. Before presenting the model proposal, extensive research was conducted on games, gamification, architectural education, and architectural history courses. As a result of the research, the method of gamification, its integration into architectural education, and its adaptability for the architectural history course were tried to be determined and then a method map was created for the model proposal. The first stage of the study aimed to determine the boundaries of the game model to be prepared and to ensure that the game model could be expanded by making this not hypothetical but with some criteria. At this point, the boundaries of the game were determined according to criteria such as the correct determination of the player audience, the definition of the boundaries of the teaching objectives, the fact that the selected area supports the teaching objectives in the best way, that it has cultural and educational value, and that the space can be moved to the virtual environment. According to these criteria, it was decided to design a game centered on the Süleymaniye Mosque of Ottoman Classical architecture. In line with the determined limits, an intriguing, engaging, motivating, and entertaining game scenario that covers the teaching objectives were prepared. According to the prepared game scenario, Süleymaniye Mosque was modeled in 3D and transferred to the game engine. The game model was designed with a user-friendly interface that supports the game story, and the game model was prepared with short tests in which players can measure their individual achievements and reinforce what they have learned, accompanied by tasks that arouse curiosity. It is aimed to make the model sustainable so that the game is not limited to this study and can be adapted to the entire architectural history course. In this direction, the game was designed based on some factors to be expandable and flexible. Especially with the game model designed through a work of architectural and historical value such as Süleymaniye Mosque, it prepares the ground for the players to gain intellectual accumulation through a cultural experience as well as learning the general characteristics of the style. In this respect, it seems possible that it will become a resource accessible not only to architecture students but also to anyone interested in architecture and has the potential to appeal to a wide audience. This experience, presented through gamification, aims to make learning more accessible, engaging, and interactive, while at the same time raising awareness about architectural history and cultural heritage. As a result, this thesis brings an innovative perspective to the architectural history course with a gamification approach and proposes an interactive and entertaining model for those who study architecture and want to have a cultural experience. This approach not only conveys historical knowledge and architectural terminology to the players but also provides cultural awareness.