The Engaged Researcher: Game Changers - Using Game Design to Promote Playful Engagement with Academic Research

New

What might your research project look like if it were presented as a video game? What rules would structure a board game based on your work? What toys could you make to encourage people to play with your key concepts? This session introduces the basics of game design and models a method for identifying the rules and mechanics that structure playful experiences. Using a series of case studies, we will examine the intersection between academic research and game design, and discuss how playful thinking can facilitate innovation, experimentation, and sustained engagement.

PG students, academic and professional staff

This is the first session of a two-part training. Participants of this training a strongly encouraged to also attend 'The Engaged Researcher: Playshop - Devising and Pitching Games Inspired by Academic Research' on the 22 May from 1 pm to 5 pm.

- Think critically about the place of ‘play’ and games in our research practice. - Use the tools of game design to devise a set of carefully balanced ‘rules’ that express particular aspects of our research project. - Determine what kind of player experience we would like to elicit and then understand how to achieve this type of engagement through combining aesthetics and mechanics. - Generate ideas for interactive research outputs that go beyond traditional formats and platforms.