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.