The IP titled Identity and Interdisciplinarity in Games and Play Research has as its main objective to strengthen the European excellence in games and play research by providing a two-week intensive course and workshop in this interdisciplinary field. It aims to teach students the state-of-the art theories and methods of Game and Play Research. The current situation is such that students who are interested in the study of games and play have limited opportunities to broaden their horizon internationally, let alone to study this subject interdisciplinary. This IP wants to fill this hiatus by offering an innovative interdisciplinary platform for learning about games and play that doesn’t yet exist anywhere in Europe or beyond. The target group consists of excellent PhD and MA/MSc students who are starting or working on thesis projects in games and play from humanities, design research, social sciences or computer sciences related approaches. The targeted students share an interest and ability to broaden their scope of knowledge and go beyond the boundaries of their field. 

Onderzocht zal worden hoe een twee jarige (120 ECTS) internationale Master Degree Game Studies opgezet kan worden. Ook zal bekeken worden of, en zo ja op welke wijze, deze master geïntegreerd kan worden in de Research Master Media and Performance Studies. In het beoogde Master programma zal samengewerkt worden met de Research Master Game and Media Technology, onderdeel van de Graduate School of Natural Sciences, Faculteit Bètawetenschappen.

To use mobile applications and games for learning purposes an appropriate use of design principles for story-telling, spatial indication and social networks is indispensable. To improve learning results, stories have to be aptly integrated in game-play, maps have to be properly incorporated in the game and must be open for development by players, and social networks have to facilitate a sharing of learning results and processes. In this GATE knowledge transfer project we want to use and apply the knowledge that has been gained in work package 4.2 (see GATE project) about these three areas in order to improve and evaluate the learning results of mobile applications and games that are developed by 7scenes. This KTP will also function as a practical benchmark to further substantiate the design principles that Utrecht University has developed in workpackage 4.2.