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Games

In Focus

Games

Games are where work, play, and art meet. ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ experts are exploring how playing games can help people develop practical skills, make tough decisions, and connect with others.

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It’s all fun and games

ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ researchers explore the simple yet inexhaustible games that people around the world and across time have found a passion for.

Get your game on

The world of video games has come a long way since the days of Pong. Learn how ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ is exploring the many levels of this massive industry.


illustration of game controllers

From joysticks to job options

Spending time gaming helps hone valuable skills that can be applied to the workplace, such as problem-solving, resilience, and teamwork.

What are Esports?

Esports attract millions of fans and lucrative sponsors, but can it find longevity in the constantly changing internet culture?

eSports gaming event

Meet "League of Legends" designer Mark Yetter

Read how the ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ alum¡¯s gaming journey helped him find his way in the industry.

Mark Yetter

Have loot boxes turned video gaming into gambling?

The controversy continues as these microtransactions find their way into an increasing number of games.

treasure chest

A ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ class explores narratives in video games

Students examine the relationship between analyzing and experiencing stories.

person playing a video game

Games through the ages

Throughout the course of human civilization, societies have always found a way to have some fun.

A playing board for a game created in 1796. It includes drawings of different characters and resembles a map.
  • Houghton Library

A history of games at Houghton

The enduring charm of tabletop games can be explored in a historical collection stored at Houghton Library.

  • ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Museum of the Ancient Near East

Game of 20 Squares

Learn how to play the game that was part of the museum¡¯s “Houses of Ancient Israel” exhibit.

  • Peabody Museum of Archeology & Ethnology

Mancala

Explore ancient boards and game sets from across the African continent.

  • Center for the History of Medicine

Chess

Find a hand carved chess set from 1864 at Countway Library on ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ’s Longwood campus.

  • Tozzer Library

Indigenous games

The Indigenous Knowledge Collection highlights diverse Native voices within academic texts, as well as diverse materials, such as board games.

Brain boosters

Gamification¡ªusing game design techniques to increase engagement and productivity¡ªis being utilized for everything from learning languages to preserving history.


An illustration of the starting screen for the Harmony Square game

A game to sharpen your truth detector

Research from ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Kennedy School¡¯s Misinformation Review shows that playing this 10-minute browser game enhances people¡¯s ability to spot and resist political misinformation.

Cognitive development

Babies and children use games and play to understand the world, form neural connections, and create bonds with their parents and friends.