News from the Department
Event: "Why Do Humans Play? Exploring the Functions, Benefits, and Meanings of (Dark) Play" by Jaakko Stenros
2021-09-24
Join us for our next lecture in the Transformative Play Initiative Event Series: "Why Do Humans Play? Exploring the Functions, Benefits, and Meanings of (Dark) Play" by Jaakko Stenros.
When: Tuesday, October 12, 7-8:30pm Central European Time (CEST)
Where: Online on Zoom
Play is older than culture, language, or even humanity; it is rooted in our biology as mammals. As play wastes energy and puts the player in danger, it must have a pretty important evolutionary benefit to have survived natural selection. In this lecture, Dr. Jaakko Stenros will look at the foundation of play, and its role in creativity, transformation, social change, and evolution. In order to get a full picture of play, Stenros will explore not only the positive and celebrated aspects of it, but also dangerous, disgusting, and illegal dark play.
Presenter bio: Jaakko Stenros (PhD) is a University Lecturer in Game Studies at Tampere University. He has published nine books and over 50 articles and reports and has taught game studies for a decade. Stenros studies play and games; his research interests include norm-defying play, game jams, queer play, role-playing games, pervasive games, game rules, and playfulness. Stenros has also collaborated with artists and designers to create ludic experiences and he has curated exhibitions at the Finnish Museum of Games.
Register for the event using this link
Learn more about Transformative Play at Uppsala and join the TPI mailing list.
Learn more about the Games & Society Lab at the Department of Game Design.
Like Transformative Play Initiative and the Games and Society Lab on FB.
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Nordic DiGRA (Digital Game Research Association)
The Nordic DiGRA Conference returns this spring 2023, this time in Uppsala. This will be a fully in-person two-day event on 27–28 April 2023. Almost half of our staff from the Department of Game Design will be attending and presenting.
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Presentation at GDC in San Francisco
Game Developers Conference, GDC, was held in San Francisco, California in May 2023 connecting the Global Game Development Community in one place. One of the speakers was Associate Professor Patrick Prax from the Department of Game Design, together with other colleagues.
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SkillMill is presented in international conferences
SkillMill is an app that helps students identify, understand, and verbalize their soft skills development. The app was developed in collaboration with representatives from several different Nordic universities together with game design students and project managers from the Department of Game Design with EU funding from Erasmus+ Programme.
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Game Design at Almedalen Week
Come listen to one or all of the seminars that the Department of Game Design is participating in during Almedalen Week 2022.
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Co-creation of a Serious Game About Radiotherapy
The Department of Game Design and the Department of Women's and Children's Health at Uppsala University co-created a serious game for children undergoing radiotherapy for cancer treatment. The project has received quite a bit of attention in Swedish and local media (available in Swedish only).
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Alumni Days December 9-10
Meet former game design students and hear how their careers have developed after they left us. They have a lot of good advice for you and are always interested in hearing about your own projects and goals and expectations.
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Congratulations, Professor Doris Rusch!
The installation of new professors at Uppsala University is taking place in Uppsala this week. And among them is our very own first professor in Game Design, Professor Doris Rusch--Congratulations!
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Game Devs of Color Expo: Kayode Shonibare-Lewis speaks on September 25, 2021
One of the speakers at the Game Devs of Color Expo, teaches at the Department of Game Design, Kayode Shonibare-Lewis.
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Upptalk with Professor Doris Rusch
Listen to Uppsala University's first professor in Game Design, Professor Doris Rusch, in Upptalk Weekly, 16 november, kl 12-12.30: "Game Design, Witches and Transformation".
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Games that create meaning - interview with researcher and Senior Lecturer, Doris Rusch
Doris Rusch, researcher and senior university lecturer at the Department of Game Design on Campus Gotland, describes how we can create games that evoke thoughts and deep, meaningful experiences.
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Co-creative game design at TEDx Uppsala University
Patrick Prax from the Department of Game Design was one of the seven speakers selected for the latest TEDx Uppsala University. His talk 'The Players make the Game – Co-creative Game Design' discusses how games are co-created by players and the possibilities and potential risks involved.
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Game Educators Summit 2017
HEVGA teams up with Uppsala University and Gotland Game Conference to expand international goals.
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Summer school 2016 to focus on improving health through game design
A two week course will be arranged this summer in Visby within the framework of EIT Health, an EU health research consortium where Uppsala University plays a leading role. The course allows students from a variety of fields to develop game concepts with the specific aim of encouraging a healthy lifestyle.
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Nordic DiGRA (Digital Game Research Association)
The Nordic DiGRA Conference returns this spring 2023, this time in Uppsala. This will be a fully in-person two-day event on 27–28 April 2023. Almost half of our staff from the Department of Game Design will be attending and presenting.
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Presentation at GDC in San Francisco
Game Developers Conference, GDC, was held in San Francisco, California in May 2023 connecting the Global Game Development Community in one place. One of the speakers was Associate Professor Patrick Prax from the Department of Game Design, together with other colleagues.
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Transformative Game Design: Freestanding Graduate Courses and Certificate 2023-2024
The Transformative Play Initiative at Uppsala University’s Department of Game Design is offering four (4) freestanding Master's level courses in Autumn 2023-Spring 2024!
These courses focus on the applied use of analog role-playing games as vehicles for personal and social change, whether facilitated in-person or in online environments. The courses are online, half-time, and freestanding. Anyone with a Bachelor’s degree can apply for the courses and take them from anywhere in the world.
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Lecture: "Playing with Perspective: Metareflection and Immersion in Embodied Role-playing” by Hilda Levin
Join us for our next lecture in the Transformative Play Initiative Event Series: "Playing with Perspective: Metareflection and Immersion in Embodied Role-playing” by Hilda Levin!
- When: Tuesday, February 21, 7-8:30PM Central European Summer Time (CEST)
- Where: Online on Zoom
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Event: "Forgotten Gems: Early Role-playing Game Theory" by J. Tuomas Harviainen
Join us for our next lecture in the Transformative Play Initiative Event Series: "Forgotten Gems: Early Role-playing Game Theory” by J. Tuomas Harviainen!
When: Tuesday, January 24, 7-8:30pm Central European Time (CET)
Where: Online on Zoom -
Event: Restorying Trans Game Studies: Playing with Memory, Fiction, and Magic for Transformative Identity Work
Join us for our next lecture in the Transformative Play Initiative Event Series: “Restorying Trans Game Studies: Playing with Memory, Fiction, and Magic for Transformative Identity Work" by Theresa Jean Tanenbaum!- When: November 29, 2022, 7-8:30pm
- Where: Online on Zoom
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SkillMill is presented in international conferences
SkillMill is an app that helps students identify, understand, and verbalize their soft skills development. The app was developed in collaboration with representatives from several different Nordic universities together with game design students and project managers from the Department of Game Design with EU funding from Erasmus+ Programme.
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Transformative Play Initiative Seminar 2022: Program and Registration
Registration is now live and the programme is available for the in-person and online tracks for the Transformative Play Initiative 2022!
Where: Cramérgatan 3, Room B51, 621 57, Visby, Sweden
When: October 20-21, 2022
Online: Zoom -
Game Design at Almedalen Week
Come listen to one or all of the seminars that the Department of Game Design is participating in during Almedalen Week 2022.