Play – the Games Festival 2026 welcomes a brand-new area entirely dedicated to games as a tool for outreach, growth, and experimentation: the Scientific Game Library, hosted in Hall 15.
Designed to explore the connection between games, research, and education, this space brings together entertainment, learning, and hands-on participation through play. A place where Game Science takes centre stage.
The new area will kick off #laPlay with 20 gaming activities rotating across 18 tables over the festival's three days. Expect board games, role-playing games, and LARP experiences — different in form, but all sharing a strong educational and academic focus.
Students, researchers, educational institutions, museums, and research foundations will be among the area's key contributors, bringing projects and activities that harness the power of games for outreach and learning.
The Scientific Game Library has brought together 17 organisations from 5 Italian regions, creating a multidisciplinary space where games become an opportunity for exchange, discovery, and shared growth.
Topics will be wide-ranging and cross-disciplinary: scientific research, emotional education, biodiversity, soft skills, archaeology, recycling, gender equality, Italian literature, politics, and history.
Here, games are more than entertainment — they are presented as a genuine vehicle for the active, well-rounded development of the individual, building bridges between academic knowledge, public outreach, and the joy of play.
We look forward to seeing you in Hall 15!
