Past, Present, Future of Meaningful Play: Building and Bridging Communities Through Games Research and Design

This panel brings together organizers of the Meaningful Play and Meaningful XR conferences for an open conversation about the communities that have emerged through these events—and where they may be headed next. We'll reflect on how these conferences got started, how they've evolved across locations and formats, and what it means to create spaces for interdisciplinary dialogue around games, play, and purpose. This session is meant to be both reflective and forward-looking, exploring how these conversations can continue to grow and stay relevant to future challenges in research and design. We'll leave plenty of time for discussion with attendees.