Bristol Digital Game Lab
The Bristol Digital Game Lab, based at BDFI, explores how video games can serve as powerful tools for social, cultural, and civic innovation.
No longer viewed solely as entertainment, games are increasingly shaping approaches to public health, cultural heritage, education, and policy. The Game Lab investigates not only what games are, but what they can do - for society, for communities, and for future digital ecosystems.
Acting as a connective infrastructure, the Game Lab brings together researchers, industry partners, and the public sector. Its mission is to unlock the potential of play to support cultural, educational, and civic transformation. The Lab is one of four specialist labs within the Centre for Creative Technologies and is co‑directed by Dr Richard Cole (Digital Futures) and Dr Michael Samuel (Film and TV).
What the Game Lab Does
The Bristol Digital Game Lab supports the development of games as a public service and serves as a catalyst for game‑led thinking across the creative city of Bristol. Since 2022, the Lab has:
- Designed games for museums and mental‑health initiatives
- Conducted large‑scale player studies as part of industry‑led collaborative R&D
- Developed a game‑jam methodology for critically examining the past, present, and future
This practice‑led, research‑informed approach underpins the Lab’s consultancy services for academics, industry, and third‑sector organisations.
The Game Lab also developed the MA Games Design (Narrative), the first programme of its kind globally with a dedicated focus on narrative design for games.