{"id":{"repo_id":"vt","oai_identifier":"oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/135465"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/vt/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/135465","repository":{"repo_id":"vt","name":"Virginia Tech","base_url":"https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Urhobo: Language, Identity, and Design","abstract":"Urhobo: Language, Identity and Design is a 3D web-based game design project that explores how technology and digital storytelling can preserve and promote the endangered language and cultural heritage of the Urhobo people of Nigeria's Niger Delta in Delta State. Inspired by UNESCO's warning that about 40% of the world's languages are at risk, this project responds with a creative intervention that merges traditional storytelling and new technology. The project dates back to the pre-colonial era of 1930 to 1960, a time when Urhobo culture was stronger than it is now. The experience opens with a 3D low-poly rendering of an environment with mid-sized houses in the suburbs of Oviore-Ovu community in Urhobo land in Delta State. While exploring the environment, the user will encounter interactive language-learning models of objects and poetry that reflect aspects of Urhobo mythology and folklore. Based on a human-centered design approach, integrating Cranz's Ethnography, Ellen Lupton's Design is Storytelling, and IDEO's 3 \"I\"s, the design emphasizes accessibility, offering intuitive navigation for a broad audience, from Urhobo community members to global cultural preservationists. By combining art, language, and technology, this project demonstrates the potential of game design as a tool for safeguarding Indigenous languages and identities. It aims to preserve Urhobo heritage as well as inspire similar efforts across marginalized cultures worldwide, fostering empathy, connection, and deeper understanding through new digital media.","abstract_html":"Urhobo: Language, Identity and Design is a 3D web-based game design project that explores how technology and digital storytelling can preserve and promote the endangered language and cultural heritage of the Urhobo people of Nigeria's Niger Delta in Delta State. Inspired by UNESCO's warning that about 40% of the world's languages are at risk, this project responds with a creative intervention that merges traditional storytelling and new technology. The project dates back to the pre-colonial era of 1930 to 1960, a time when Urhobo culture was stronger than it is now. The experience opens with a 3D low-poly rendering of an environment with mid-sized houses in the suburbs of Oviore-Ovu community in Urhobo land in Delta State. While exploring the environment, the user will encounter interactive language-learning models of objects and poetry that reflect aspects of Urhobo mythology and folklore. Based on a human-centered design approach, integrating Cranz's Ethnography, Ellen Lupton's Design is Storytelling, and IDEO's 3 "I"s, the design emphasizes accessibility, offering intuitive navigation for a broad audience, from Urhobo community members to global cultural preservationists. By combining art, language, and technology, this project demonstrates the potential of game design as a tool for safeguarding Indigenous languages and identities. It aims to preserve Urhobo heritage as well as inspire similar efforts across marginalized cultures worldwide, fostering empathy, connection, and deeper understanding through new digital media.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Akusu, Efe"],"institution":"Virginia Tech","degree_name":"Master of Fine Arts","degree_level":"masters","degree_discipline":"Creative Technologies","degree_department":"Art and Art History","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":["Drum, Meredith"],"committee_members":["Paine, Rachael Laura","Nedic, Dajana"],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-06-10","date_published":"2025-06-10","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:20:09Z","subjects":["Game Design","Interactive Design","Human-Computer Interaction","Human-Centered Design","3D Modeling","Art","Web","New Technology","Urhobo","Delta State","Language","Cultural Preservation","New Media Art","Play","Storytelling","Spatial Audio"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["In Copyright"],"rights_urls":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["vt_gsexam:44050"],"render_values":[{"text":"vt_gsexam:44050","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/10919/135465","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.committeechair","label":"Committee Chair","values":["Drum, Meredith"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.committeemember","label":"Committee Member","values":["Paine, Rachael Laura","Nedic, Dajana"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Art and Art History"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Akusu, Efe"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2025-06-11T08:02:19Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2025-06-11T08:02:19Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2025-06-10"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Virginia Tech"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Creative Technologies"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Fine Arts"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Game Design","Interactive Design","Human-Computer Interaction","Human-Centered Design","3D Modeling","Art","Web","New Technology","Urhobo","Delta State","Language","Cultural Preservation","New Media Art","Play","Storytelling","Spatial Audio"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["In Copyright"]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["vt_gsexam:44050"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/10919/135465"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Urhobo: Language, Identity and Design is a 3D web-based game design project that explores how technology and digital storytelling can preserve and promote the endangered language and cultural heritage of the Urhobo people of Nigeria's Niger Delta in Delta State. Inspired by UNESCO's warning that about 40% of the world's languages are at risk, this project responds with a creative intervention that merges traditional storytelling and new technology. The project dates back to the pre-colonial era of 1930 to 1960, a time when Urhobo culture was stronger than it is now. The experience opens with a 3D low-poly rendering of an environment with mid-sized houses in the suburbs of Oviore-Ovu community in Urhobo land in Delta State. While exploring the environment, the user will encounter interactive language-learning models of objects and poetry that reflect aspects of Urhobo mythology and folklore. Based on a human-centered design approach, integrating Cranz's Ethnography, Ellen Lupton's Design is Storytelling, and IDEO's 3 \"I\"s, the design emphasizes accessibility, offering intuitive navigation for a broad audience, from Urhobo community members to global cultural preservationists. By combining art, language, and technology, this project demonstrates the potential of game design as a tool for safeguarding Indigenous languages and identities. It aims to preserve Urhobo heritage as well as inspire similar efforts across marginalized cultures worldwide, fostering empathy, connection, and deeper understanding through new digital media."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstractgeneral","label":"General Abstract","values":["Imagine a vibrant culture, rich with unique stories, traditions, and a distinct way of seeing the world, all held within its language. Now, imagine that language slowly fading away. This is the reality for many languages worldwide, including Urhobo, spoken by a community in Delta State, Nigeria. This project tackles this challenge by creating something engaging, fun, and modern: a computer game accessible on the web called \"Urhobo: Language, Identity and Design.\" This game invites you to explore a virtual representation of a small village in the ancient Urhobo world. As you navigate this digital space, you'll encounter interactive ways to learn the language and discover elements of Urhobo objects and poetry. The goal is to use the power of art, technology, and storytelling to help keep the Urhobo language and culture alive for future generations and to share its beauty with a wider audience. 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By combining art, language, and technology, this project demonstrates the potential of game design as a tool for safeguarding Indigenous languages and identities. It aims to preserve Urhobo heritage as well as inspire similar efforts across marginalized cultures worldwide, fostering empathy, connection, and deeper understanding through new digital media."],"dc:description.abstractgeneral":["Imagine a vibrant culture, rich with unique stories, traditions, and a distinct way of seeing the world, all held within its language. Now, imagine that language slowly fading away. This is the reality for many languages worldwide, including Urhobo, spoken by a community in Delta State, Nigeria. This project tackles this challenge by creating something engaging, fun, and modern: a computer game accessible on the web called \"Urhobo: Language, Identity and Design.\" This game invites you to explore a virtual representation of a small village in the ancient Urhobo world. As you navigate this digital space, you'll encounter interactive ways to learn the language and discover elements of Urhobo objects and poetry. The goal is to use the power of art, technology, and storytelling to help keep the Urhobo language and culture alive for future generations and to share its beauty with a wider audience. 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