Does ‘the real’ matter? Technological affordances and Generation Z’s experience of authenticity in heritage games

Digital technologies are transforming heritage experiences, raising questions about how authenticity is dynamically experienced and constructed in virtual environments. Drawing on the emergent authenticity phase model and affordance theory, this study examines the Digital Library Cave game through in-depth interviews with 30 Generation Z players. The findings reveal that authenticity is not static but a fluid process, wherein objective, constructive, and existential dimensions are activated and negotiated through technological affordances across pre-experience, in-situ, and post-experience phases. This study contributes to theory by extending the emergent authenticity model to digital contexts, highlighting technological affordances as key mechanisms shaping authenticity, and revealing how Generation Z negotiates existential authenticity through social validation. These insights inform user-centered design and foster intergenerational engagement.