a pile of gaming pieces

Ludic Design

Focus of our research

This theme focuses on the transdisciplinary investigation into playful and gameful design, practice, and culture with impact on socio-cultural development. It includes studies into the mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics of play and gameplay for informing meaningful experience design. The wide reach of play and gameplay is universal, providing opportunities for ludic design aspects to be embedded into mediums for communicating serious messages, affecting emotions in engaging stories and environments, and impacting attitudes and behaviours in the process. The CPC’s work in this area involves experimenting with a wide range of practices aimed at removing the barriers to play and game design, understanding the impact of ludic design in various sectors, and exploring the potential of immersive and adaptive technologies for enhancing ludic experiences.

Key researchers

Professor Sylvester Arnab

Dr. Petros Lameras

Dr. Dominic Mahon 

Mark Lewis 

Alex Masters

 Queen’s Award for Enterprise Logo
University of the year shortlisted
QS Five Star Rating 2023