In an era dominated by global video games and social media trends, the survival of centuries-old folk games and traditional practices is constantly threatened. How can ancient, non-material culture—the songs, the dances, the rituals, and the games—compete for the attention of a digitally native generation?

Oman is answering this challenge with an ingenious, forward-thinking solution: gamification. The Sultanate has launched a pioneering national initiative to integrate traditional Omani folk games into a modern, 3D digital environment, effectively transforming intangible heritage into interactive, engaging entertainment for its youth.  

The Next Level of Heritage: Oman’s Pioneering Strategy to Save Intangible Culture Through 3D Gaming

This strategy is not merely about nostalgia; it is a critical component of the Oman Vision 2040 cultural roadmap. By blending advanced technology with deeply rooted traditions, Oman is securing the transmission of its identity, ensuring that its cultural legacy remains a living, evolving part of the national consciousness.

The Architect of Cultural Pedagogy

This effort is spearheaded by the Children’s Culture Centre at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, which recognized that to preserve culture, it must first be made relevant and accessible to young minds.  

“These projects bring our traditional games back to life in an engaging way and help children sharpen creative thinking and problem-solving skills while preserving our heritage digitally,” explained Salwa bint Saif al Rashidi, Supervisor of the Children’s Culture Centre.  

The initiative fundamentally addresses the core tension of the digital age: how to use rapid technological change to reinforce, rather than erode, the Omani character. The focus is on nurturing a generation that is not only equipped with skills suited to rapid technological change but is also profoundly proud of its cultural and national identity

Transforming Tradition: From Sandpit to Screen

The most visible successes of this initiative are the digital makeovers given to beloved traditional Omani folk games, recreated as immersive 3D interactive experiences.  

1. Al Anbar (The Digital Seven Stones)

  • The Original: Al Anbar is Oman’s version of the classic “seven stones” game, traditionally played with stacked stones or cans and a rubber ball. The physical objective is to knock down the stack and rebuild it before the opposing team can hit the players with the ball.  
  • The Digital Transformation: By recreating Al Anbar in a 3D digital environment, designers preserved the authentic rules and required strategy while placing the action within highly stylized Omani settings. This allows players to develop traditional social and cognitive skills—like teamwork, dexterity, and quick thinking—through a digital platform they instinctively understand.  

2. Al Sayyad (The Hunter)

  • The Original: In Al Sayyad (The Hunter), two teams challenge each other, typically in a sand pit. One team acts as the hunters, aiming to tag the opposing players (the prey) with a ball until all are eliminated.  
  • The Digital Transformation: Digitized versions of this game retain the core excitement and competition while placing the experience directly on digital devices. The shift ensures that the cultural concepts of teamwork, strategy, and safe competition—which are central to the game—are transmitted seamlessly, keeping these pastimes a living legacy for generations to come.  

By codifying these specialized Omani practices and knowledge into distributable digital formats, the country guarantees the long-term transmission of core Omani identity and social skills to its digitally native population.

Beyond Games: Immersive VR for Cultural Practices

Oman’s strategy extends beyond simple recreational games, utilizing Virtual Reality (VR) to provide immersive, educational experiences in complex traditional practices and sports that define the nation’s cultural landscape.  

  • The Palm Tree and Date Harvesting: A specific project, ‘The Palm Tree and its Associated Practices: An Interactive Story of Date Harvesting (Al-Kharf),’ employs VR to educate children on the deep cultural and agricultural significance of the palm tree. This initiative is particularly significant as the practices associated with the palm tree are internationally recognized, holding an inscription on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The VR story allows participants to virtually experience the specialized skill and cultural ritual of date harvesting (Al-Kharf).
  • Interactive Camel Racing: Similarly, the ‘Interactive Camel Racing Experience’ uses VR technology to simulate the high-speed traditional sport of camel racing. This raises awareness of Oman’s sporting heritage and allows users to engage with a culturally significant, yet physically specialized, activity in a safe and accessible digital environment.  

These projects showcase a strategic intent: to utilize advanced technology to make specialized, historically-rooted Omani knowledge digestible, engaging, and permanent.

The Model for Intangible Heritage

Oman’s digital folk games initiative establishes a powerful precedent for how nations can secure their non-physical, intangible heritage in the face of rapid globalization. The Ministry has affirmed its commitment to expanding this initiative, with plans to digitize more Omani folk games in the near future.  

The success lies in the project’s meticulous alignment with the objectives of Oman Vision 2040: safeguarding cultural identity, promoting heritage, and enhancing its relevance among younger generations.

The result is a proactive, systemic solution that ensures Omani traditions—from the simplest playground game to the most revered agricultural practice—are not merely documented, but actively and dynamically transmitted, transforming the past into a vibrant, 3D experience for the future.