In our June 2025 meeting of the Digital Education Reading Group, we explored the questions posed in our pre-reading post: Start gaming or the world will be destroyed*. What followed was a lively and critical discussion, ranging from identity and inclusion to practical design challenges. This follow-up post captures the key themes, questions, and reflections that emerged from the session.
Why play in higher education?
Tim Hall led the session and opened by sharing key ideas from the book and supporting resources. Games, we heard, can foster learning through doing rather than telling; offer safe spaces for identity exploration; and build communities where learners share knowledge informally. Play can deepen engagement by allowing students to adopt meaningful roles and by providing low-stakes environments to experiment and fail safely.
Inclusive and critical perspectives
We discussed an important point about diversity and inclusion in gaming, highlighting how mainstream games can reinforce stereotypes and sometimes alienate learners, especially women or those from minoritised backgrounds. The group agreed that playful learning needs to be consciously inclusive and designed with awareness of different cultural contexts and learning preferences.
From theory to practice
We discussed different ways playful learning can show up: from large-scale simulations and role-play (like live-action role play – LARP) to smaller interventions, such as identity-based discussion prompts in MOOCs, scenario-based learning, or even creative use of checklists. We cast our minds back to experiences of creating a playful virtual classroom in Second Life, where students explored, competed and collaborated and how this boosted engagement and learning outcomes despite requiring significant effort to build.
Balancing fun, learning outcomes and context
The group reflected on the importance of thoughtful design: playful elements should align with learning outcomes and support students’ goals, rather than being bolted on. The group noted that higher education is already, in some ways, gamified, but not always in ways that support good learning. We explored the idea of co-creating learning aims with students, to increase agency and make learning more meaningful.
Small steps and big questions
The conversation recognised practical constraints: time, resources, scalability, and suggested that even small, simple playful elements can make a difference. We also discussed the broader purpose of higher education: should it be about ticking off learning outcomes, or about curiosity, transformation and joy? As one member put it, playful design can help students reflect on what and how they are learning, making their own perspectives visible.
5 key takeaways
- Playful learning can deepen engagement, support identity exploration and build community.
- It must be thoughtfully designed to be inclusive and aligned with learning outcomes.
- Even simple, low-cost playful activities—like scenario prompts, text-based games, or reflective discussions—can add value.
- Co-creating learning aims with students can empower and personalise the learning journey.
- Beyond tools and techniques, play invites us to reflect on what higher education is really for.
Many thanks to Tim for leading, and to everyone who shared examples and critical reflections. If you’d like to explore these ideas further, The Playful University is available to borrow, and Tim has offered to share more resources.
This summary was co-written with generative AI, drawing directly from the session transcript.
