"Some Assembly Required": Starting and Growing a Game Lab [Abstracts]

This panel will present case studies of four different game laboratories, exploring the uses of the lab as a research venue and as part of a game or digital media curriculum. The examples will focus on game labs in Humanities departments, where the use of laboratories as a resource is less common. OVERVIEW A game lab is an invaluable resource for games research, which can take many forms depending on its purpose. There are many functions it can fulfill: a venue for collaboration between disciplines, a resource to study games and players, as well as an environment to develop experimental games and foster innovation in game design. Setting up a game lab also demands a considerable effort. Depending on the intended purpose of the lab, there will be different technical needs, human resources and funds required. Integrating the game lab into the context of a department and within a curriculum is an additional challenge in justifying the creation of a game lab, particularly in the Humanities, where the use of laboratories as a resource is less frequent. This panel will share the stories of four labs, covering what has worked best for them and what has not worked. Each panelist will provide an overview of what they needed to put together their labs, how they have grown an identity for them, and how they have integrated them in their different institutional contexts. The goal is to discuss the value of a game lab, and to encourage the participation of attendants who have a game lab as part of their resources, or may be thinking of setting one up. The Experimental Game Lab (EGL) extends the mission of Georgia Tech's Digital Media Graduate Program by blending theory and practice to both investigate and extend the expressive capabilities of games, to foster critical analysis, and to better understand and influence the role of video games in culture. Both a research community and a facility, the EGL creates a locus for diverse disciplines to meet, collaborate and exchange ideas, including: critical theory and media studies; psychology and cognitive science, anthropology and sociology; human computer interaction; computer science and engineering; art, media production, design and architecture. Topics explored include persuasive and activist games, game and virtual space, augmented reality, tangible media, pervasive games, cognition and creativity, AI in narrative and games, the cultures of virtual worlds, platform studies, procedural aesthetics, and interactive narrative. The …