While much attention in location-based game and wearable research is about their benefits as in-class education or is aimed at children, rather less research has been done about the combination of location-based games and wearables in private use. This paper investigates a game solution for the low history knowledge of German teenagers and focuses on the learning success of the combination of a proposed location-based mobile game and wearable, called ‘Geocation’ for educational purposes as well as the enjoyment of it. Two prototype sets, functional and appearance, about the location-relevant topic ‘King Ludwig II’ were created and tested with 36 teenagers in Munich. To analyze the learning success pre-and post-test surveys were conducted and applied to the strategy of gamification. The enjoyment of the combination of the location-based mobile game and wearable was evaluated by connecting it to the GameFlow theory and conducting post-test interviews. The study has shown that the connected wearable was not crucial for the player’s learning success; however, it contributed to the user’s motivation and enjoyment.

This thesis focuses on how location-based games can be used to experience places of cultural heritage in new ways. A prototype game was created in which players follow a day in the life of a sergeant while walking to different locations at Karlsborg fortress and unravel a plot about the plan to steal Sweden’s gold reserve. To analyze how well a location-based game worked in this setting gameflow theory was used to measure the player experience, focusing on how concentration and immersion was handled. Since players will switch their focus a lot between the game and their surroundings it is important that the game helps them know what to concentrate on and stay immersed during the game. A small testing session was conducted at Karlsborg fortress which showed an indication that players were able to stay immersed while playing the game and that the social interaction between players played an important role in their experience.