Saudi museum turns heritage into an AI playground

RIYADH: Picture a 12-year-old sitting in a gallery at the National Museum of Saudi Arabia, sketching on a tablet. Behind her is a prehistoric rock carving from Najran, etched into sandstone thousands of years ago. On her screen, an AI tool generates variations of a character she has drawn, refining the design in real time. She is not in a coding boot camp or computer lab. She is in a museum — an unexpected setting for young people to learn about artificial intelligence. The program, titled 'Tac-Tech: Your Game,' held its fourth edition from July 11 to Aug. 6, bringing together 120 participants aged 12 to 14 in two cohorts of 60. Over two weeks, each cohort transformed museum artifacts into playable physical and digital games using AI tools, virtual reality and sound engineering. The National Museum's Creative Programs and Events Division told Arab News: 'A museum is not simply a place for preserving and displaying artifacts. It is an environment for learning, inspiration and innovation. 'All of our programs are built on connecting the museum's stories and collections to concepts, values and learning objectives through creative, interactive experiences that make the visitor an active participant in discovering knowledge, not a passive recipient of it.' While many introductions to AI begin with code, the National Museum starts with a story. 'The summer camp evolves each year through a design methodology that begins with research: studying local developments, the cultural themes designated by official bodies and the interests of our target audience,' the museum said. 'This is complemented by brainstorming sessions and focus groups with stakeholders, ultimately leading to a new concept tailored to the age group and aligned with what engages them. This approach has produced a continuous evolution: from 'Person, Animal, Object' in 2023 to 'Once Upon a Time, There Was a Storyteller' in 2024, then 'Made in the Museum' in 2025, and now 'Tac-Tech: Your Game' in its current edition.' The program explores how technology can serve as a bridge between heritage and the imagination of the next generation. Every game begins with an artifact from the museum's collection, such as the Lion with the Claw, the Princess of Thaj or prehistoric rock art from Najran. Participants then use AI to generate character designs, refine visual concepts and prototype game elements. 'Through years of designing programs, we have come to understand that games are not merely a form of entertainment; they are a language the new generation understands and engages with deeply,' the museum said. 'That is why we chose game design, in all its forms, digital and non-digital, as a learning methodology. We believe the most effective way to strengthen young people's connection to their heritage is to empower them to reinterpret it and create from it themselves.' The camp offers three tracks. Game Innovators design hybrid board games incorporating virtual reality, combining physical pieces with digital worlds inside a headset and linking both through a narrative drawn from the museum's galleries. World Builders create virtual games on Roblox, developing immersive environments in which players navigate heritage-based challenges. Puzzle Makers produce cultural escape-box experiences built around secrets, locks and clues, with the story providing the path forward. • $80 million is the size of Merak Capital's Gaming Fund, which has invested in almost 40 gaming companies. • Four years on, Tac-Tech has evolved into a model linking Saudi heritage with AI, gaming and creative technology. • Four creative stages take participants from exploring museum artifacts to designing, programming and testing their games. Across all three tracks, participants move through four creative phases. 'Spark' takes them into the galleries to encounter artifacts firsthand, select one and develop an initial concept. 'Code' turns that concept into a narrative structure comprising rules, challenges, puzzles and a game pathway. 'Programming' brings it to life using sound, light and digital tools. During 'Experience,' participants test, refine and package their games before presenting them. 'The impact of the experience does not end when the camp does,' the museum said. 'We provide participants with a practical guide that enables them to continue developing their projects after the program concludes, from initial concept through to execution, reinforcing the continuity of learning and encouraging them to turn their ideas into future creative projects.' The process also mirrors one familiar to archeology and museum work: discovery, documentation, interpretation and presentation. 'One of the most inspiring outcomes we have observed across the four editions is that children and young people have a genuine desire to understand their identity and culture, and they take pride in it when it is presented in a way that respects their curiosity and creative abilities,' the museum said. 'When we give them the right space, they truly become ambassadors for their heritage and culture.' This year, the museum worked with three Saudi studios: Sadu Studio, a game development company rooted in Saudi and Arab culture; Lamba Innovation Center, a creative learning studio specializing in programs for those aged 5 to 18; and Taqueen Creative Studio, an experience design and engineering firm. Merak Capital, a multistrategy investment institution based in Riyadh, also brought founders from its Gaming Fund portfolio to Tac-Tech, giving participants direct access to people building gaming companies in Saudi Arabia. The $80 million Merak Gaming Fund is backed by the National Development Fund and the Social Development Bank as part of the Gaming and Esports Financing Program. Merak has invested in almost 40 gaming companies to date. Representatives from Khosouf Studio, Spoilz, Evolite Studio, Symmetric Studios, Entropy Minds, Twenty Ninety Creative, HYS Games and Kiddo Education reviewed the games, shared their experiences and offered practical feedback. 'The founders looked at creativity, gameplay, storytelling, problem-solving and how clearly participants could communicate the thinking behind their games,' Rema Alyahya, principal at Merak Capital, told Arab News. 'At 12 to 14 years old, we were looking for curiosity and creative thinking more than technical perfection, although the games were highly impressive from a technical perspective.' The children's ability to turn ideas into interactive games, present them and respond to feedback from professional developers reinforced Merak's confidence in the potential of Saudi youth to contribute to a world-class gaming ecosystem. 'Saudi Arabia is building the capital, infrastructure, companies and talent base needed for a globally competitive gaming ecosystem,' Alyahya said. 'Programs like Tac-Tech matter because talent development starts early, and exposure to the industry can turn an existing passion for gaming into skills, careers and eventually companies. 'Saudi youth already have a strong connection to gaming. The opportunity is to channel that into creation, developing the next generation of developers, designers, storytellers and founders who can build games and gaming companies in Saudi Arabia for a global audience.' By the end of the program, participants leave with a custom-designed, 3D-printed character and a QR code through which they can share their digital game. Depending on their track, they also take home either a personalized cultural escape box filled with original puzzles or a ready-to-play board game featuring their own board, dice and gameplay elements. Four years after it began, Tac-Tech has evolved into a model for how cultural institutions can help develop the creative and technical capabilities of the next generation while keeping heritage at the center of the experience.