We run an annual programme of activities that fall under the following categories
Workshops
The Lab hosts masterclass and workshops on topics ranging from narrative design to AI ethics
We'll be running the next workshop in the Can Games Teach? series in May 2026. The theme will be Games with History and Heritage. Full details to follow.
Game Nights
A monthly online meetup where scholars / designers play antiquity-inspired multiplayer games
The Lab supports Antiquity Games Night – a monthly online meetup where scholars, students & designers play antiquity games together, organised by Dr Richard Cole (University of Bristol) and Dr Alexander Vandewalle (Ghent University). Think: ‘reading group, but with games’. All you need to do is sign up to the Discord via https://discord.gg/h2XPtJfGut. No experience required. We look forward to seeing you there!
- For September 2025, we'll be playing Civilization VI (2016). We'll be talking all things history, grand strategy, how the series has evolved (including the newest entry in the franchise, Civ 7 and its unexpected VR port), and much more. We'll kick off at 20:00, Monday 15 September.
- For October 2025, we're playing Titan Quest (2006), to get back into mythology and celebrate the release of Titan Quest II's early access version recently. We'll kick off at 20:00, Tuesday 14 October.
- For November 2025, we'll be playing Anno 117: Pax Romana (2025) at launch, so people who are interested in buying the game can have a look at how it actually plays. We'll kick off at 20:00, Monday 24 November.
- For December 2025, we'll be playing Dota 2 (2013), which we think would make for a nice end of the year event. We'll kick off at 20:00, Tuesday 16 December.
Industry Talks
The Lab facilitates the sharing of expertise across industry and academia on the impact of games
AI in Conversation: Collaborating on R&D to Drive Growth
October 10 2025, 4:00 PM - 4:30 PM, VWV, Narrow Quay House, Narrow Quay, Bristol BS1 4QA
Join Ben Ackland from Bristol-based game tech start-up Meaning Machine and Richard Cole from the University of Bristol as they talk about the value add of collaborative R&D when introducing AI-powered characters to videogames and cultural heritage experiences. Learn how industry and academia worked together to identify valuable research questions and methodologies - and how credible evidence is helping drive business growth. Get a glimpse into what surprised players, researchers, and the developers!
This free fireside talk is part of the Bristol Festival of Tech, Creativity + Culture and sponsored by MyWorld.
Richard will also be speaking at Content with Conscience: AI’s Next Chapter on 11 February 2026, joining a panel of speakers exploring how is AI is reshaping the way we create, share, and moderate content and what it means for our future.
Game Jams
The Lab has pioneered the ‘concept’ game jam methodology to critically examine complex problems
Impaired Technologies Game Jam
Calling all game jammers! On the weekend of the 8-9 November, we are co-hosting a game jam on the topic of Impaired Technologies. Broken screens, crackly speakers, and glitchy controllers will act as a design provocation. Come and play / create games that challenge us to think more deeply about accessibility in games. Signup here.
Research Seminars
We invite leading academics to discuss cutting edge research in game studies and applied design
Details TBC
Player Studies
The Lab runs large scale player studies as part of collaborative R&D projects with industry partners
Are you interested in how video games are changing as a result of emerging technologies? Would you like to play a pioneering example of a ‘first person talker’? Then we need you! We are looking to recruit 60 participants in November to play a prototype 3D murder mystery game called Blood Will Out. During the study we will sit with you while you play, and ask you for your thoughts about it through some questionnaires and a short interview. You don't need to be a gamer, or to be 'good at games' - we'd like to hear from as many different kinds of people as possible. This is the final study as part of the Game Conscious™ Characters project, led by Meaning Machine in collaboration with the Game Lab at the University of Bristol and funded by a MyWorld Collaborative Research and Development grant. Express your interest to take part.
Postgrad Events
We support the postgraduate community through postgraduate-led work-in-progress events
Community
Making use of cutting edge facilities, the Lab support various community building activities
MyWorld Open Day For Bristol Festival of Tech, Creativity + Culture
Thursday 9 October 9, 10:00 - 16:00
We'll be welcoming visitors to the Bristol Digital Game Lab as part of the MyWorld and BDFI open day at The Sheds. Come and see the fruits of the R&D projects we've worked on, play games, and explore our new space in the Bristol Digital Futures Institute!
IMPACT! Indie Games - Pitch Up!
Tuesday 4 November 2025, 12:00 - 18:00
We're delighted to be hosting the next Pitch Up! event at The Sheds. Pitch Up!, run by the IMPACT! team, is an in-person, practice pitching event that offers indie developers the opportunity to learn from peers, get feedback from a panel of publishers and scouts and give yourself peace of mind that you’re able to refine your pitch before jumping in at the deep end. Register your interest to take part via this form.
Bristol Game Hub Antisocial
Wednesday 19 November 2025, 19:00 - 21:00
We're excited to be hosting the Bristol Game Hub November social at The Sheds.
If you would like to hear about our events directly, please sign up to our mailing list. You can also follow our activities on LinkedIn and Bluesky via #BristolDigtialGameLab. If you have ideas for future events that we can help out with, please let us know! For reference, see details of our 2022, 2023, autumn 2023, 2024, and 2024/25 events.