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Research Centre of Gameful Realities

We research, play, and innovate for tomorrow.

About the Research Centre

Open, High‑Impact Research on Play, Gamification & New Tech

We are the Research Centre of Gameful Realities, a world-known hub that does open, high‑impact research on play, gamification, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), extended reality (XR) and related technologies.

Our Vision

To become the world’s leading interdisciplinary hub for gameful realities, shaping how gamification, play‑based learning, XR, and positive psychology transform education, health, industry, and society for a sustainable future.

What we mean by play
Play is a voluntary activity that people do because they enjoy it. It involves exploring, imagining, trying new things and having fun. Even though play follows simple rules, it stays flexible, sparking curiosity, creativity and problem‑solving. That makes play a strong driver of learning, social connection and personal well‑being.

What we mean by gamification
Gamification is the purposeful addition of game‑style features—points, badges, leader‑boards, quests, levels, feedback loops, challenges and clear goals—to non‑game settings such as school, health care, work or community projects. Adding these features turns ordinary tasks into goal‑focused, motivating experiences that improve engagement, persistence and measurable results while keeping the original purpose of the activity.

How we combine them
Play gives us the right mindset and rich experiences. Gamification adds clear incentives and structure. Together they push our research forward, helping us create real‑world solutions for today’s and tomorrow’s societal challenges.

Our Mission

Our mission is to do open, teamwork‑focused research on games, learning, AR/VR/XR and positive psychology. We create new technologies, join forces with experts in computing, education, health, management and design, turn our ideas into real solutions for schools, healthcare, businesses and society, and share all results freely so everyone can benefit.

  • Hands‑On AR/VR/XR Labs – Our state‑of‑the‑art AR, VR and XR labs design, build and test immersive tools with real users, guaranteeing usability, measurable impact and rapid prototyping for gameful realities and gamification research.
  • Industry & Policy Partnerships – We turn research into market‑ready solutions through collaborations with the KONE Foundation, Business Finland, the Academy of Finland, and major European funders such as the European Regional Development Fund, Erasmus+, MSCA‑PF, MSCA‑ITN and the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), delivering evidence‑based policy inputs for education, health and digital innovation.
  • International Conferences & Events – We host two flagship conferences each year—GamiFIN and Mindtrek—and regularly organise or co‑organise high‑visibility events such as CHI Play 2024, or host tracks at HICSS.
  • Talent Development & Career Pathways – We mentor PhD and master students, provide internships with our industry and research partners, and connect graduates with fast‑growing career opportunities in the game‑tech, XR, and ed‑tech sectors, building the next generation of innovators in gameful realities.

Our Research Groups

The Research Centre of Gameful Realities comprises seven interdisciplinary groups that unite experts from Tampere University’s ITC, EDU, MAB and MET faculties.

Augmentative Technology

The Augmentative Technology group unites multidisciplinary experts to create tech that enhances daily life ● Learn More?

Gameful Futures

The Gameful Futures Lab uses game‑based, design‑oriented research to explore alternative futures, blending technology and interaction ● Learn More?

Games and Learning

The Games & Learning Group investigates how games and playful interactions shape learning, motivation, emotion, and engagement across a wide range of educational contexts ● Learn More?

Gamification Group

Gamification Group is a multidisciplinary research team that investigates the gameful aspects of technology, society, culture, and the economy ● Learn More?

Insight

The INSIGHT Research Group is dedicated to generating socio‑technical insights within the field of Information Systems (IS) research ● Learn More?

XR Economies

XR Economies Lab leads research on how augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed‑reality and augmented virtuality reshape consumer experiences ● Learn More?

InterReality

InterReality is a multidisciplinary research group focusing on the interrelations between different virtual spaces (including both “digital” and “possible”) and the real world ● Learn More?

Our History

  • 2024 – We opened the Centre! We hosted CHI PLAY 2024, one of the most prolific play and interaction conference, and began drafting a proposal for an Academy of Finland Centre of Excellence (target start 2026).
  • 2025 – We set the goal to become a world‑recognised hub for gameful realities.
  • 2026 onward – We will wrap up the PROFI6 €3.2 M grant with a final impact report, and we will launch the Academy of Finland Centre of Excellence (2026‑2032) to secure long‑term leadership in gamification, XR and game‑based learning research.