WELCOME TO THE GAMES & SOCIETY LAB

Games have become among the most influential media of the 21st century.
Yet, we have only just begun to understand their impact on players and society as a whole.
The Games & Society Lab looks at game design, gameplay, players and contexts of play in regards to a wide range of socially relevant issues from education to health, personal development, civics and social behavior. 

Cultures of Play

While games can create new and imaginary worlds, they also reflect the world in which they are made and the people that make them. Games are affected by the social and cultural realities impacting the people making them, as well as the lens through which these designers view the world.
>>>

Psychology of play

At the Games & Society Lab, we investigate how games affect the players’ psychology, and how the psychology of players affects play. Because the mind is always present in play experiences, we see psychology as a useful way to look at how players play, as well as how they interact with games and each other.
>>>

Transformative Play

Whether played in leisure time or in professional contexts, play can impact us significantly. Games invite us to shift our perspectives, our behavior, our relationships, and our ways of interacting with the world around us. These shifts in perspective can lead us to feel more empowered, empathetic, aware, engaged, and skilled.
>>>

The Transformative Play Initiative

Can games transform us in profound, meaningful, and lasting ways? Whether played in leisure time or in professional contexts, play can impact us significantly. Games invite us to shift our perspectives, our behavior, our relationships, and our ways of interacting with the world around us. These shifts in perspective can lead us to feel more empowered, empathetic, aware, engaged, and skilled. The Transformative Play Initiative combines these research interests with education.
>>>


News & Events


COLLABORATE WITH US

We love to collaborate and we get frequent requests to do so from other units inside the university as well as outside.

Guidelines