Investigate.Games Research Group

This research group investigates interactive games - including video games, board games and other types of play - in the context of their history, production and socio-cultural value towards a greater understanding of their impact and importance to society.

'Play' has been a cornerstone of social science research for as long as the discipline has existed, and 'interactive games' can be considered in purposively broad terms to encompass cultural artefacts that facilitate play, either as part of a group or on one’s own.

The group's research into interactive games covers a wide spectrum of disciplinary areas, drawing on a variety of sometimes disparate fields including game studies, political economy, spatial theory, human-computer interaction and ethnomethodology.

Investigate.Games provides a friendly space for academics, postgraduate researchers and those interested in games to discuss and investigate the significance of play in our everyday lives, with a commitment to understanding the circumstances in which games are produced and consumed. Whilst predominantly clustered in Social Science, the group's aims are to expand to include disciplines from across the University and beyond, towards supporting funding bids, knowledge exchange and public engagement events. Also, we're always up for some gaming.

Get in touch

Investigate.Games would welcome prospective PhD enquires. Current research areas are listed below, but we are always open to discussion of other areas:

• Interactive games and sociality
• Video games, death and dying
• Games as therapeutic artefacts