Sylvester Arnab is a Professor of Game Science at the Disruptive Media Learning Lab and an associate of the Centre for Post-digital Cultures at Coventry University, UK. His research focuses on the investigation into engaging, empathic, and empowering experiences through the lens of playful and gameful design practices.

Sylvester is a co-founder of the award-winning GameChangers initiative (http://gamify.org.uk) - focusing on playful and gameful learning experiences, which has been adapted in Malaysia and is currently being expanded into Vietnam and Indonesia towards responding to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. GameChangers has also informed the Beaconing project (http://beaconing.eu), which was led by Sylvester and is often referred to as a best practice for gamified learning in Europe. To date, Sylvester has successfully won research funding with a total value of £19 million since 2010 (£9.9 million as a principle investigator). Funders include the UKRI (AHRC and ESRC), European Commission (FP7, H2020, and Erasmus+), and HEFCE.

Sylvester is currently leading the ACES project (http://aces.gchangers.org)  and the CreativeCulture 4.0 project (http://mycapsule.my), funded by the UKRI under the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) and the Newton Fund Impact Scheme respectively. Both projects are building on the GameChangers initiative, where Sylvester's play and game thinking approach is being adapted in South East Asia towards developing inclusive and equitable teaching and learning practices.  

Sylvester has over 100 academic publications, having recently published a book on ‘Game Science in Hybrid Learning Spaces’, which provides insights into the research and practice of purposeful game design with a focus on hybrid education. He is regularly invited to give public and keynote lectures in various international events. Sylvester is currently supervising three PhDs with four completions and has examined 10 PhD theses to date.

Sylvester was previously a researcher at Coventry University’s Serious Games Institute and University of Warwick’s WMG. He graduated with a PhD in Engineering in 2009 at the University of Warwick. 

Twitter: @sarnab75 

Blog: http://sylvesterarnab.com

Game Science (gameful/playful design, serious games, game-based learning, gamification, game design thinking); Hybrid learning spaces; Technology-enhanced learning; Pervasive learning and technologies; Trans-disciplinary game-based intervention development; Multi-modal platforms (tactile, wearable, mobile, mixed-reality)

A champion of gameful, playful and persuasive designs that transform ordinary tasks into extraordinary experiences. My research interests are inspired by the potential of game techniques and technologies in sustaining engagement with serious activities, and to inform the design of experiences. My research focus is influenced by a a hybrid approach for holistically define, design and implement game-based interventions, including the blending of physical and digital spaces, and formal and informal contexts. I have developed a trans-disciplinary and holistic model for game-based design and development that can be adopted by researchers, designers and developers. My research, development, and practice findings have informed the discussions in a book on Game Science and it's application and implication on Hybrid Learning Spaces published in 2020.