Today we traded Campus Gotland for Celsiustorget in Uppsala and joined Gaming för alla – a public celebration of games, play and the communities that form around them.
And “for everyone” really was the point. Throughout the day, the square filled with children, parents, experienced players, curious newcomers and people who simply stopped to see what was going on. Games became a reason to meet, talk, compete, cooperate, ask questions and try something unfamiliar.
That is also a pretty good description of why we think games belong at a university.
Games are deeply embedded in contemporary culture. They are entertainment and art, but also technology, social spaces, businesses, communities and ways of exploring ideas. Understanding how they are made, how they work and what they do in society means approaching them critically and creatively – through design, programming, art, production and research.
Pelle took to the stage during the afternoon to talk about exactly that: how deeply games are woven into human society, why they deserve serious academic attention, and what we do with them in education and research at Uppsala University’s Department of Game Design.
Meanwhile, the booth offered the more hands-on version.
Visitors could meet our students, talk to teachers and developers, ask about studying game design at Campus Gotland – and, most importantly, play some games. Our students brought Excava, Stick Together, Word Race, POSER, Essom and Hamla to the square.
For us, opportunities like this are an important part of what higher education in games can be. Games should not only be discussed inside classrooms, laboratories or industry conferences. Bringing student work into a public space means putting ideas in front of people with entirely different backgrounds and experiences – and giving our students the chance to see what happens when their work meets an audience outside the university.
A very large thank you to all the students who gave up part of their weekend to bring their games, demonstrate them, answer questions and represent the department. And thank you to everyone who stopped by the booth, played something, listened to the talk or simply came over for a conversation. Meeting you is what made the trip worthwhile.
Finally, thank you to the organisers of Gaming för alla for inviting us and for creating a space where games could be approached as something open, social and genuinely for everyone.
Now, back across the Baltic – with slightly tired feet and a lot of good conversations to bring home with us. 🙂
Want to take games further?
If exploring what games can be sounds like your kind of thing, come join us in Visby. At Uppsala University’s Department of Game Design, we study and create games through design, programming, art, production and research.