Leveling Up Leadership: Emerging Voices and Evolving Practices in the Games & Play Community

Abstract

This workshop brings together emerging and established leaders in the Games & Play research community to reflect on their leadership journeys, exchange best practices, and collectively envision the future of leadership in the field. As the community continues to expand across disciplines, geographies, and cultures, there is a growing need for dialogue around how we lead, support, and sustain playful, inclusive, and forward-thinking research groups. Through a series of interactive sessions—including show-and-tell reflections, group discussions, campus walks, and co-creative mapping—we aim to surface key challenges, playful practices, and shared needs among leaders. The outcomes of the workshop will include a collaboratively generated Playful Leadership Map, a community reading list, and the foundation for an open-source Handbook of Playful Leadership. This gathering marks the beginning of an ongoing network committed to shaping the next generation of leadership in Games & Play.

Authors

Oğuz ‘Oz’ Buruk, Max V. Birk, Ferran Altarriba Bertran, Alena Denisova, Aakash Johry, Rakesh Patibanda, Velvet Spors, Xin Tong, Rina R. Wehbe

Keywords

Collaborators

Oğuz ‘Oz’ Buruk

Tampere University

Max V. Birk

Eindhoven University of Technology

Ferran Altarriba Bertran

Playful Living Lab, Universitat de les Arts ERAM (Universitat de Girona)

AD

Alena Denisova

AJ

Aakash Johry

RP

Rakesh Patibanda

Department of Human-Centred Computing, Monash University

VS

Velvet Spors

XT

Xin Tong

RR

Rina R. Wehbe