Dutch Games Monitor 2024 is out now!
The new Dutch Games Monitor of 2024 has just been released by the Dutch Games Association. This monitor reports the facts, trends, and developments in the Dutch games industry over the past few years.
Dutch Games Association: Generative AI and Video Games Event @Utrecht University
Everyone seems to have an opinion on generative AI — or at least 99% of Dutch developers do. And for better or worse, it’s clear that GenAI will impact this industry. That’s why Matthijs Dierckx and the Dutch Games Association organized an event about adoption, stance, and the general past, present and future of this
Dutch DiGRA Symposium 2025: Futures for Game Research.
Update: the deadline has been postponed. The call will close on the 10th of August.
Call for abstracts.
This year the Dutch DiGRA is hosted by Utrecht University. Do you wish to attend and contribute to this symposium? We then invite you to submit an abstract of your (un)published research or project using the form in this post.
Research Projects
>> All Research ProjectsCrisis to Resilience
Ecogame Playtesting Series 2025/26
After a successful run last fall, Flora Roberts, Laura op de Beke, and Stefan Werning, representing the Network for Environmental Humanities (NEH) and the Utrecht Game Lab, are back with another series of ecogame play(testing) sessions.
- Education, Events:
Hybrid Franchise Hacking Workshop (Gamelab x Man Met)
- Education, Events:
Franchise Hacking Workshop (Gamelab x WUR Games Hub)
Comenius - Fostering an Open Mind
Open Mind game challenges to look further
From now on, the Open Mind game, a creative educational game in the style of “whodunit”, is available in the Apple App and Google Play store. Students play the game on their own smartphones and receive mysterious messages from an unknown sender. By talking to various characters about their traits, values and beliefs, they have
- Events, Insights, News:
Taking Perspectives with Game Design: Teachers wanted for pilot!
- Insights, Longread, News:
A new game that opens up your mind
Toxic Behaviors in Multiplayer Games
Game Research @ CHI 2025
The latest installment of the ACM (Association of Computing Machinery) CHI conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems took place in Yokohama, Japan from April 26 to May 01, 2025. CHI is the premier international conference of Human-Computer Interaction and had a record attendance with more than 5200 on-site attendees this year. Researchers from the
- Events:
Game Research @Dutch DiGRA 2024 Symposium
- Events, Insights:
Game Research @CHI PLAY 2024!
Shape2Gether - Erasmus+
Shape2Gether: Experiencing the Bochum Summer School
This is a reflection of the third and final “summer” school of the Shape2Gether Erasmus+ project that took place a month ago in Bochum, Germany.
- Education, Events:
Shape2Gether: Experiencing the Malta summer school
- Education, Events:
Shape2Gether: Experiencing the Trondheim Summer School
Themes
>> All ThemesGames and Sustainability
Ecogame Playtesting Series 2025/26
After a successful run last fall, Flora Roberts, Laura op de Beke, and Stefan Werning, representing the Network for Environmental Humanities (NEH) and the Utrecht Game Lab, are back with another series of ecogame play(testing) sessions.
- In the media, News:
Dutch Games Monitor 2024 is out now!
- Education, Events:
Shape2Gether: Experiencing the Bochum Summer School
Games Beyond Entertainment
New book on Historiographies of Game Studies
We would like to point you in the direction of a recently released edited volume titled Historiographies of Game Studies: What It Has Been, What It Could Be. The chapters in the book, two of which were authored by UU scholars, critically reflect on both the past and potential futures of game studies as a field.
- Education, News:
Open Mind game challenges to look further
- Education, Events:
Shape2Gether: Experiencing the Bochum Summer School
Criticism and Analysis
Hybrid Franchise Hacking Workshop (Gamelab x Man Met)
On April 30th 2025, the Utrecht Gamelab and the Manchester Game Centre at Manchester Metropolitan University collaborated on a first-of-its-kind hybrid three-hour co-design workshop, building on the work of Chloe Germaine and Paul Wake on ‘game hacking’ and the ‘franchise hacking’ technique developed by the Utrecht Game Lab on the basis of Germaine and Wake’s
Social Games and Play
Open Mind game challenges to look further
From now on, the Open Mind game, a creative educational game in the style of “whodunit”, is available in the Apple App and Google Play store. Students play the game on their own smartphones and receive mysterious messages from an unknown sender. By talking to various characters about their traits, values and beliefs, they have
- Events, News:
Game Research @ CHI 2025
- Events, Insights:
Game Research @CHI PLAY 2024!
Disciplines
>> All DisciplinesMedia and Culture Studies
New book on Historiographies of Game Studies
We would like to point you in the direction of a recently released edited volume titled Historiographies of Game Studies: What It Has Been, What It Could Be. The chapters in the book, two of which were authored by UU scholars, critically reflect on both the past and potential futures of game studies as a field.
- Education, News:
Open Mind game challenges to look further
- In the media, News:
Dutch Games Monitor 2024 is out now!
Computer Sciences
Open Mind game challenges to look further
From now on, the Open Mind game, a creative educational game in the style of “whodunit”, is available in the Apple App and Google Play store. Students play the game on their own smartphones and receive mysterious messages from an unknown sender. By talking to various characters about their traits, values and beliefs, they have
- Events, Insights, News:
Dutch DiGRA Symposium 2025: Futures for Game Research.
- Events, News:
Game Research @ CHI 2025
Communication Studies
Dutch DiGRA Symposium 2025: Futures for Game Research.
Update: the deadline has been postponed. The call will close on the 10th of August. Call for abstracts. This year the Dutch DiGRA is hosted by Utrecht University. Do you wish to attend and contribute to this symposium? We then invite you to submit an abstract of your (un)published research or project using the form in this post.
- Insights, Longread, News:
A new game that opens up your mind
- Publications:
Article: Digital literacy games: a systematic literature review
History and Art History
New digital escape room MedievalMe brings the Middle Ages to life
How do you spark excitement for medieval history in secondary school students? Sanne Frequin, art historian and Assistant Professor at Utrecht University, has the answer: MedievalMe. This innovative Dutch serious game immerses students in the medieval worldview.
- Education, Events, Publications:
History of Game Research at Utrecht University