The STRATEGIES Summer School on Ecological Games & Responsible Development
Date & Venue
31 August – 2 September 2026
TH Köln – University of Applied Sciences
Cologne Game Lab
Schanzenstraße 28
51063 Cologne, Germany
What is it about?
In recent years professionals and scholars have studied how games represent ecological collapse and engage with environmental themes. As the climate crisis intensifies, the pressing question is no longer what we understand, but what we do with that knowledge? With evidence of the industry’s footprint and handprint on the table, the next step must be about implementing solutions for planetary futures.
The STRATEGIES Summer School 2026 is a three-day intensive program, dedicated to moving from evidence to action. Together with leading scholars and industry professionals, we will explore how insight on ecological relations can be translated into applied practices, and extend engagement to other relations and co-existences of people and planet. We will focus on two areas specifically:
a) ecological games – how game design intersects with political imagination?
b) responsible development – how to make games with materiality, politics and ethics in mind?
Who is this Summer School for?
We invite game designers and early-career researchers from game studies, environmental humanities, media studies, cultural studies, science and technology studies, and related fields with interest in games and the planet. Projects may be at any stage of completion, from early MA ideas to advanced PhD research or ongoing design prototypes.
We encourage work that critically examines:
- game narratives (e.g., post-apocalyptic imaginaries, nature and ecology, multispecies relations),
- game mechanics (such as resource management systems, climate simulations, or mechanics that foster player activism),
- development practices (including green or energy-efficient design and sustainable production processes),
- player engagement (for example, promoting ecological literacy, influencing player behavior, or imagining sustainable futures).
What to expect?
Academic poster sessions
Discuss your own project with mentors who will bring diverse expertise in ecological game research and practice.
Keynotes and panels
Learn from researchers and industry experts about practical approaches, theoretical implications, and future directions in the field.
Collaborative workshops
Dive into concrete case studies with game studios, exploring their design strategies, production realities, and the challenges faced.
Game sessions
Play and discuss games in hands-on sessions with game developers, including Cologne Game Lab alumni.
To ensure an intensive and productive working environment, the participants are expected to attend a full three-day program and actively contribute to discussions and workshops (from morning to evening). The detailed program will follow.
Our confirmed experts
Prof. Dr. Estrid Sørensen (Ruhr-Universität Bochum)
Professor for Cultural Psychology and Anthropology of Knowledge, Faculty of Social Science at Ruhr-Universität Bochum
Dr. Stefan Werning (Utrecht University)
Associate Professor for Digital Media and Game Studies at Utrecht University, where he co-coordinates the focus area Game Research and organizes the annual summer school Multidisciplinary Game Research
Dr. Joost Vervoort (Utrecht University)
Associate Professor of Transformative Imagination in the Environmental Governance Group at the Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development
Game designer, co-helming a team of game industry veterans working on the climate game All Will Rise
Mgr. Lukáš Kolek PhD (Charles Games)
CEO of a Prague-based game studio with extensive experience in developing purpose-driven games such as Attentat 1942, Playing Kafka, and Beecarbonize
David Zapfe-Wildemann & Raven Rusch (Neoludic Games)
Co-Founder, Co-CEO and Creative Director of a Cologne-based game studio Neoludic Games who released Tiny Bookshop in 2025
Maria Wagner (Sustainable Games Alliance)
Co-Founder and Managing Director of Sustainable Games Alliance, a non-profit with one goal: to make the games industry the leader in sustainability by setting ambitious and achievable standards for environmental and social responsibility
Organizers
Prof. Dr. Sonia Fizek, TH Köln (Cologne Game Lab), WP2 Lead at STRATEGIES
Dr. Ruth Dorothea Eggel, TH Köln (Cologne Game Lab), Researcher at STRATEGIES
STRATEGIES is a four-year research project designed to help game developers lead Europe’s creative and cultural industries in the shift to sustainability. At Cologne Game Lab, we are conducting research with European game studios to better understand and advance sustainable, responsible, and practice-oriented approaches to game development.
How to apply?
Send your CV and a motivation letter (not longer than two pages) by the 15th of May 2026 to rde@colognegamelab.de. Mention how your research or design project (including early-stage work) correlates to the Summer School’s focus on ecology, sustainability, and responsibility in game development.
Accepted participants will be asked to prepare and bring a scientific poster presenting their project. Detailed guidelines for the poster format will be provided upon acceptance.
Costs & Travel
There is no participation fee for the Summer School.
Participants are responsible for arranging and covering their own travel and accommodation.