Digital Creativity Labs

(University of York, UK)

Digital Creativity Labs (DC Labs) is a world centre of excellence for impact driven research in games, interactive media and the rich space where they converge. Based at the University of York, the interdisciplinary centre has links with four university groups and works alongside more than 100 external partners. DC Labs provides research expertise and new perspectives that lead to cutting-edge technologies and solutions.

Photograph of the Ron Cooke Hub late at night, illuminated by lights.

The University of York is a high-performing, research intensive Russell Group university and one of the world’s premier institutions for inspirational and life-changing research. The University’s focus on teaching and research excellence has resulted in consistently high rankings in the UK and a first-class reputation across the globe.

In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2019, York is in the world top 50 for Arts and Humanities, top 100 for Social Sciences and top 50 of the world’s most international universities.

PlayOn! Team
Ben Kirman, Project Co-ordinator
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Ben’s background is in creative technologies: before joining academia he worked designing and developing digital prototypes for a wide range of clients including the BBC, Philips, Telecom Italia, the NHS, Honda and many others in the digital media industries. These prototypes included games, interactive TV, rich web apps, mobile apps, and interactive art. 

In 2006 he joined the EU FP6 PASION (Psychologically Augmented Social Interaction Over Networks) project to lead the game design and development thread, and from 2010 – 2015 worked as a Senior Lecturer in Game Design at the University of Lincoln, as Leader of the Computer Games Production programme, and moved to the University of York’s department of Theatre, Film, TV and Interactive Media in January 2016.

Ben’s PhD was in social aspects of game play, and identified links between patterns of social interaction and game mechanics. His research interests are around design for unusual interactive experiences. He takes a multidisciplinary approach and collaborate widely with scholars from computer science, psychology, human-computer interaction and the arts.

Direction
Marian Ursu, Head of Interactive Media
Headshot of Marian Ursu

Marian is the Head of the Interactive Media subject group at the Department of Theatre, Film and TV at the University of York, UK. He is also Co-Director of the Digital Creativity Labs, an interdisciplinary centre for impact-driven research in digital games and interactive media, built on a £18 million – investment by three UK research councils, four universities and over 80 partner organisations.

Contact us
VAT Teater MTÜ
National Library Theatre Hall
Tõnismägi 2 (location)
10122 TallinnEstland

Mail address: Endla 3, 10122 Tallinn

VAT No. EE 100 744 512
(+372) 6 450 959
(+372) 6 307 272
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