Hello everyone and a belated Happy New Year for 2026!
The woods are damp and mysterious this time of year, but come into the woods with us when they are bright full of life this summer! The PLA annual conference returns 1st to 3rd July and our call for sessions is about to close, you’ve got until Monday 2nd February to get those session proposals in! https://playfullearningassoc.co.uk/submit-a-session-for-pl26/
Before that, we’ve got online and in-person PLA meet-ups for your delight!
The online meet-up is very soon (12th February), and though there is now a full delegate list, we’re still looking for contributors. In this session we will work in breakout groups to share ideas and develop approaches of how we have invited people into play (and how we were invited in originally too). Do you have any examples of how you have invited others to play that you would be willing to share as short (5min) ‘food for thought’ sections? Our aim is that each breakout will have a different ‘food for thought’ then we will see what emerges in our collective jam menu as a result! If you have anything you would like to share, please contact Mark (Mark.Childs@durham.ac.uk) and (egillaspy@lancashire.ac.uk) with a sentence or two explaining your concept/idea/example know. If you’re worried about presenting to a large seminar group, and particularly if that’s always put you off contributing in the past, then this is perfect for you, as what we’re doing is asking people to share their work to smaller groups to generate discussions in those groups.
In-person will be at Northumbria Uni (in Newcastle), 28th / 29th May. Bookings (free of course) are open now, more details are on the Eventbrite page, they will be further fleshed out soon! If you fancy sharing something at this event, please let us know on the order form for it too 🙂 Following straight on from this, is UKGE, for those of you that fancy travelling straight on from Newcastle to Birmingham…
UK Games Expo is the second largest hobby games expedition in the world, taking place at NEC Birmingham from 29th to 31st May, with a preview and press night on Thursday 28th. Following on from a successful inaugural event last year, the academic track will take place on Sunday 31st May in the Plaza conference suite. We are expecting over 50,000 visitors this year of all ages.
Why not spend Sunday with an eclectic group of academics, game designers and publishers at the intersection of table-top games and education, sharing all things games in learning?
This list is indicative of the opportunities on offer if you want to get involved:
- Speak at the academic track or take part in a workshop or panel on Sunday.
- Show off your work in progress in the academic track demo area on the Sunday.
- Take part in the Press night on Thursday evening.
- Demonstrate or play-test your games for learning over the whole weekend.
- Undertake research with an audience of gamers and families.
- Propose an activity around any aspect of public outreach and games.
- Have your work featured on the stand.
- Be featured in the PLA social media for the event.
There is also an open call for workshops and seminars to take place throughout the weekend, which can be marketed as part of the academic track. If you are interested apply through the UKGE website, and make sure you ask to be featured in the academic track.
This year is the 20th anniversary of UKGE, and so we are on a hunt for the top 20 games for learning that can be adopted easily by educators. Whether this is an off the shelf commercial game that you have adopted into your classroom, or a game designed specifically for learning, we want to hear from you. All the games and supporting materials will be made available through the Playful Activities Library, and publicised on our social media channels.
We need folks to volunteer to be on the stall in the main hall from Friday to Saturday – this can include time off to do any of the above, and you will get a free ticket for the whole event (including Thursday press night).
Please contact Liz Cable, the PLA Outreach lead on l.cable@leedstrinity.ac.uk.
Last but not least, another lovely (and free!) playful event, this time at Central St Martins exploring the theme of ‘playful making and making playtime online‘.
UALO CEO Symposium 2026. Making Playtime: an offline symposium about creative education online. Tuesday 24 March 2026, 10.30am – 4.30pm, Central Saint Martins, King’s Cross, London, N1C 4AA.
Join us at Central Saint Martins in central London for a day of talking and thinking about online creative education. Guest speakers include: Nicola Whitton, Professor of Play at Northumbria University; Justin Spooner, Director of Unthinkable; Martin Newth, Head of School of Fine Art at The Glasgow School of Art; and Georgia Steele, Head of Design and Development for UAL Online. The symposium will be beneficial for anyone interested in creative pedagogies, playful learning, learning design, and/or online education. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/creative-education-online-ceo-series-tickets-877989168237