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<p>With advancements in technology, media have increasingly transitioned to digital platforms, and video games—due to their convenience—have become a popular and engaging medium for delivering information. While previous research has examined the educational and entertainment potential of video games, their influence on individuals’ travel intentions to heritage sites has not been thoroughly explored. This study aims to fill this gap by investigating how video games shape travel behavior toward natural and cultural heritage (NCH) sites, using the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) model. Focusing on the heritage-themed video game Black Myth: Wukong, this paper examines how immersive experiences, exposure to NCH, proactive interaction with NCH, and peer influence (the stimuli) affect players’ pride and interest in NCH, their attitudes toward NCH (the organism), and their subsequent travel intentions to the real-world heritage sites depicted in the game (the response). Using structural equation modeling (SEM), the study analyzes data from 3229 game players to explore the relationships between these variables. The findings reveal that immersive experiences, exposure to NCH, and proactive interaction significantly enhance players’ pride and interest in NCH. In contrast, attitudes toward NCH are mainly influenced by proactive interaction and peer influence. Notably, players’ pride and interest in NCH, along with peer influence, directly predict their intentions to travel to NCH sites. Our findings suggest that heritage-themed video games designed with immersive narratives, rich exposure to cultural elements, and interactive engagement can evoke players’ pride, interest, and favorable attitudes toward heritage, ultimately encouraging travel intention. Tailored digital experiences and targeted engagement strategies for different age groups are also recommended to enhance cultural tourism planning and policy design.</p>

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From pixels to places: how video games influence real-world travel to natural and cultural heritage sites

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年4月20日

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  • Bingqin Han,
  • Diyi Liu,
  • Suntong Qi,
  • Lisong Wang

摘要

With advancements in technology, media have increasingly transitioned to digital platforms, and video games—due to their convenience—have become a popular and engaging medium for delivering information. While previous research has examined the educational and entertainment potential of video games, their influence on individuals’ travel intentions to heritage sites has not been thoroughly explored. This study aims to fill this gap by investigating how video games shape travel behavior toward natural and cultural heritage (NCH) sites, using the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) model. Focusing on the heritage-themed video game Black Myth: Wukong, this paper examines how immersive experiences, exposure to NCH, proactive interaction with NCH, and peer influence (the stimuli) affect players’ pride and interest in NCH, their attitudes toward NCH (the organism), and their subsequent travel intentions to the real-world heritage sites depicted in the game (the response). Using structural equation modeling (SEM), the study analyzes data from 3229 game players to explore the relationships between these variables. The findings reveal that immersive experiences, exposure to NCH, and proactive interaction significantly enhance players’ pride and interest in NCH. In contrast, attitudes toward NCH are mainly influenced by proactive interaction and peer influence. Notably, players’ pride and interest in NCH, along with peer influence, directly predict their intentions to travel to NCH sites. Our findings suggest that heritage-themed video games designed with immersive narratives, rich exposure to cultural elements, and interactive engagement can evoke players’ pride, interest, and favorable attitudes toward heritage, ultimately encouraging travel intention. Tailored digital experiences and targeted engagement strategies for different age groups are also recommended to enhance cultural tourism planning and policy design.