Community-driven Game Design Research
Exploring barriers to Game Design, Production, and the industry with community-driven design research.
Research Opportunities
Summary
Digital games are an ever evolving, culturally significant, and economically substantial form of contemporary media. The medium now consistently outpaces the consumption and revenue of film and music. Despite the medium’s ubiquity and diverse consumer base, however, the industry disproportionately remains made up of-and caters to-white men.
Scholarly and popular commentators suggest the industry diversify the perspectives and backgrounds of its members to escape the medium’s too often exclusionary nature and broaden the creative potential of games. However, there are few clear and consistent solutions for how a competitive, discordant, and sometimes fiercely risk-averse industry may pragmatically reform.
One facet this problem is digital game production relies on a combination of creative and technical skills, and technology that can be difficult to access based on socio-economic, cultural, or regional contexts. Developing creative skills can be difficult without access to expertise. Developing technical skills can be difficult without economic resources for expensive computing tools. Achieving comfort, confidence, and safety in a community of practice can be challenging for anyone who represents identities and demographics that have been historically excluded.
Our project seeks to improve the game medium, industry, and cultural expression they represent by supporting design, technical, production, and personal capacity and skill development in historically overlooked or excluded communities. That is, communities excluded based on demographic identifiers or similar, and regional communities such as Aberdeen that are not traditionally known for game production expertise or output.
We expect this project to encourage individuals to leverage their up-skilling toward creative personal and professional activities and create additional pathways to expression and success within these communities. Community members would be collaborators and even leaders as they practice digital game creation, to support the pursuit of a career in industry or independent development.
Community-driven scholarly approaches to design in creative industries rare as well. This project has scholarly impact in its development of a collaborative, community-driven framework for shifting similar approaches or methods in related creative and professional domains.
Our team will work with external collaborators in the region and beyond. We will reach out to Abertay University, known for its game program, for example, as we expand beyond Aberdeen. We are also working to include active game industry professionals. However, our key initial collaborator is Crow House Projects, with their experience with similar efforts related to the film industry.
Crow House Projects is a Community Interest Company based in Aberdeen, dedicated to building a vibrant creative economy in the North East of Scotland by up-skilling and promoting local creatives globally. Crow House has successfully up-skilled local creatives through its hands-on “Film Accelerator Programme,” offering real-world experience in film production, with mentorship from industry professionals.
A hopeful PhD student should be motivated to contribute to and expand this project. They should possess demonstrated experience and interest in research methods that involve human subjects, in situ. They should have an interest in game design and production, with demonstrated expertise in these areas being a strength. Experience in pedagogy and design-thinking are valuable.
Supervisors
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Research Themes
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About our Research Degrees
We welcome specific ideas from applicants for a potential research degree topic. The University offers a number of potential self-funded topics in each School which you could consider developing your research project around.
It is not unusual for a proposed research degree topic to evolve as you progress through the application stage and even your future studies. This ensures the best match of your academic/professional experience with that of your supervisory team.
Occasionally, the University will also advertise available funded studentships, for very specific topics or subjects:
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Entry requirements
Entry Requirements for Research Degrees
Normal entry requirements are a first or upper second class honours degree from a University of the United Kingdom, or from an overseas University, or degree equivalent qualification, subject to the approval of Robert Gordon University.
Applicants holding other qualifications shall be considered on their merits and in relation to the nature and scope of the proposed research programme.
Applicants will normally register for an MSc/PhD or MRes/PhD with transfer to PhD dependent on satisfactory progress. However, applicants who already possess a Master’s degree which includes a significant research component could be registered directly for a PhD, subject to a satisfactory research proposal, and clear evidence of research expertise.
Some Research Degree Topics require employment experience, research experience and/or transcripts for international qualifications.
Contact researchdegrees@rgu.ac.uk to see if you are eligible.
English Language
Any applicant whose first language or language of previous University-level instruction is not English must normally demonstrate competence in English. This should be a score of IELTS 6.5 with 6.5 in all elements, or an approved equivalent.
We accept a variety of in-country and secure English language tests, find out more:
Please note, some courses may require a higher standard of English than stated in this page. Contact researchdegrees@rgu.ac.uk for further information.
Fees & Costs
For Academic Year 2024/2025
UK/EU Students
- Full time - £4,786 per academic year
- Part time MPhil/PhD - £2,870 per academic year
- Part time MRes/MSc by research - £2,390 per academic year
International Students
- Full time - £19,450 per academic year
- Part-time MPhil/PhD - £11,670 per academic year
- Part-time MRes/MSc by research - £9,720 per academic year
For Academic Year 2023/2024
UK/EU Students
- Full time - £4,712 per academic year
- Part time MPhil/PhD - £2,830 per academic year
- Part time MRes/MSc by research - £2,356 per academic year
International Students
- Full time - £18,700 per academic year
- Part-time MPhil/PhD - £11,220 per academic year
- Part-time MRes/MSc by research - £9,350 per academic year
Additional Costs
The following course-related costs are not included in the course fees:
- The cost of books that you may wish to purchase
- Accommodation and living costs
- Printing
Alumni Discount
Robert Gordon University is delighted to offer a 20% discount on course fees for all alumni who have graduated from RGU.
Scholarships and Financial Awards
Postgraduate research students will normally make their own arrangements for payment of fees. However you may qualify for a scholarship or financial award:
Funded Studentships
Occasionally, the University will also advertise available funded studentships, for very specific topics or subjects:
Disclaimer
For new intakes course fees are reviewed and published annually for each mode of delivery. Tuition fees are fixed for the duration of a course at the rate confirmed in the offer letter. For further information see:
How to Apply
Applications
All applications should be made via the University's online application for research students.
Before you apply, find out more about the application process, research proposal writing guides, routes and durations:
Our Research degrees usually start in February and October each year. There are no formal deadlines for you to submit your application, though we recommend you submit it as early as possible in order to ensure we can help you join us at your preferred time.
Completed application forms should be accompanied by:
- Degree certificate
- Statement of purpose, detailing why you would like to study this degree in the UK, and why you have chosen RGU.
- A short research proposal, in the range of 1,500 - 3,000 words, containing a rationale and background, study aims and objectives, a literature review, proposed research methods and a full reference list.
Further guidance on the application process:
English Language Requirements
All applicants whose first language is not from a recognised English speaking country will be asked to provide evidence of their English language skills as part of their offer to study at RGU.
Find out more about the English language qualification we accept:
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