What could be more joyful than humanity’s return to the moon? We celebrate as Artemis II launches the first crewed mission to the moon in 50 years. Travel with Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen as they make history as the first people to orbit the moon since Apollo 17. 🚀🌕

✍️Survey Participants Needed!✍️ Are you a mobile or game developer working with AI? Researchers want to understand the real-world experiences, challenges, and insights of developers using AI tools. Take this short survey and help shape the future of AI in app development! 👉 tinyurl.com/bdr5hckz

Researchers are looking for participants to join a playtest for Broke, a board game exploring the realities of systemic poverty. Playtesters are needed from 2pm - 4pm on Sat. April 4 in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood. For more information, fill out the interest form 👉 tinyurl.com/3d55ap64

📢 The deadline to submit papers to this October’s Meaningful Play conference has been EXTENDED to April 22! 📢 Other key submission dates: *Games, Lightning Talks, Posters: May 15 *Hosted Sessions: June 15 Visit the conference website for full details and to submit your work! 👉 tinyurl.com/34a53njn

🚨Meaningful Play 2026 submissions are OPEN! 🚨 Meaningful Play is accepting work for this October’s conference. Key submission dates include: *Full Papers: March 31 *Games, Lightning Talks, Posters: May 15 *Hosted Sessions: June 15 Visit the conference website for details and to submit your work!

🚨Attention Game Industry professionals! Submissions open soon for REGENERATE Game Jam 2026. Hosted by the IGDA Climate SIG, this year’s jam is dedicated to making games that imagine sustainable futures. The submission window is March 19-22. Learn more 👉 itch.io/jam/regenera...

As Black History Month wraps up its 100th Anniversary, we’d like to celebrate a particularly playful inventor: Lonnie Johnson. NASA engineer, clean energy researcher, AND inventor of one of the best selling toys in history ... the Super Soaker water gun! Learn More 👉 tinyurl.com/yd5u6ttp

🎉 Meaningful Play's Bluesky has launched! 🎉 Join us Oct 13-15, 2026 in Pittsburgh! Academics, game designers, and educators: If you make or study games, this is the conference for you! Submission guidelines and registration details will be released soon! Stay tuned…

2/20/2026 新年快樂 Happy Lunar New Year! Some great games to play to celebrate include She Long Men - a fast-paced card game, and Shi Ba La - a classic dice game. But the staple for fun with friends and family is.. Mah Jong. Wishing you sharp minds, steady hands, and winning streaks all year long! 🏮🐴

Data and LEGO®, together at last! Members of the CMU community are invited to discover the building blocks of data at an interactive workshop using LEGO® Bricks. Explore data concepts and storytelling. (Maybe your minifig can give a presentation) 🗓️Feb. 18, 4-6 pm, Hunt Library

🚨Alert!🚨 Meaningful Play conference dates and deadlines announced! Join us for Meaningful Play 2026 Oct 13-15 in Pittsburgh! Key submission dates include: *Full Papers: March 31 *Games, Lightning Talks, Posters: May 15 *Hosted Sessions: June 15 Submission guidelines will be released soon!

As we dig ourselves out of the winter weather, we can’t resist sharing a very Pittsburgh playful experience… Along with Rialto Street in Troy Hill, there are additional reports of intrepid skiers and snowboarders on Ohio Street in Monroeville and on South Negley Avenue. Shred the streets! ⛷️🏂🚦

Jan. 23 is the day the first official Frisbees came flying off the production line. While folks had been tossing pie plates around since the 1870s, the flingable branded toy by Wham-O was first produced in 1957. Don’t let a little snow stop you from celebrating with a game!

👀 Check out this nifty new open-access, online journal dedicated to exploring videogame making as an artistic, poetic, and experimental practice. Game Poems just launched its first issue - a curated collection of small interactive works presented alongside artist statements and editorial context.

🚨Current CMU Student Alert!🚨 Are you looking for an independent study centered on game development, research, or graphic design? There’s still time to meet the Jan. 12 deadline for spring opportunities with the CTP! Learn More 👉 tinyurl.com/3n7t3yv7

The weather outside may be frightful this time of year but that’s no reason to avoid outdoor fun and games! Check out this awesome list of “cool” winter games from around the world. (It says it’s for kids. We beg to differ. Enjoy your snow battle!) ❄️⛷️☃️

Want to wrap up family fun and the ultimate present in the same box? CTP Director Dr. Jessica Hammer spoke on KDKA's Talk Pittsburgh about how games and play can be the gift that keeps on giving. (There's also a nod to some amazing games designed by our @cmu.edu colleagues!)

Guess who’s going to be on KDKA's Talk Pittsburgh today? Live at 3pm Dec. 8! Watch here 👉 www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/talk-pittsburgh/ #centerfortransformationalplay #holidaygamenight

A heartfelt THANK YOU to everyone who gave on Tuesday to support our work! Donors like you help us continue our mission of building community, doing high-quality research, and helping people solve problems through the power of games and play. ♥️

Today is the day! Dec. 2 is the 11th annual #givingCMUday when members of the Tartan community kick off their end-of-year giving by supporting meaningful areas of CMU. Your gift boosts the work we do and supports students across the game design community. Support the CTP 👉 tinyurl.com/34tzc6nh

This Tuesday, join us in empowering current and future Tartans through #GivingCMUDay! Help us create new opportunities for bold ideas and innovation and support students across the game design community! 💝🧑‍🎓

Artificial Intelligence may not only be a source of data leaks, but also manipulation. The work of our colleagues at the Carnegie Mellon Software Engineering Institute warns that poor communication of AI outputs can fuel bad decisions. Learn more 👉

🎉 We’re excited to announce that in Fall 2026, we’re partnering with the Entertainment Technology Center to offer a concentration in Transformational Play as part of the Master’s of Entertainment Technology! Learn more about the program and how to apply. Applications are due by Jan. 1, 2026!

👀 What a milestone! (And what a bar for our own students to reach for … no pressure 😉) #researchgoals #GoogleScholarFamous 🎓💻

🤖🌐 CTP Director Dr. Jessica Hammer was delighted to be part of PA State @repdanmiller.com’s latest Community Webinar. The panel discussion centered on the intersection of artificial intelligence and its use for social engagement. Check out the video! 👉 pahouse.com/miller/communitywebinars

Our friends over at en.seethegood.app are working to bring their innovative and playful classroom programs to schools in Pennsylvania. Learn more - and see Pittsburgh represented on the news in Finland! 🇫🇮 📰

🎃🐈‍⬛ Celebrate Halloween with a cheeky horror tragicomedy - Slay the Princess. A mysterious voice says you must kill a princess in a cabin in the woods. If you fail - it will bring about the end of the world. We saved the spookiest for last: Three out of five 👻👻👻 Link 👉 blacktabbygames.com/press-stp

Let’s keep up the creepy with Home Safety Hotline. In this analog game players take on the role of a telephone operator who must answer incoming callers’ questions about what’s inside their home. Spookiness Rating of two out of five 👻👻 Link 👉 igdb.com/games/244303/presskit

A slightly spookier game recommendation: Cult of the Lamb casts players in the role of a possessed lamb saved from annihilation by an ominous stranger… but now you must repay the debt. This one gets a Spookiness Rating of two out of five 👻👻 Link 👉 igdb.com/games/cult-of-the-lamb/presskit

Tuesday’s Halloween treat is a life-sim game about camping on a haunted, ever-changing island. In Cozy Grove you’re a spirit scout wandering the forest, finding hidden secrets, and helping soothe the local ghosts. Spookiness Rating: One out of five 👻 👉 www.qag.io/cg/

In support of a happy Halloween, The CTP is spending the week sharing some “spirited” favorite games. First up: Spiritfarer. You play Stella, ferrymaster to the deceased. Build a boat to explore the world! Spookiness Rating: One out of five 👻

CHI PLAY's Work In Progress (WIP) contributions provide a unique opportunity for authors to present reports on original yet incomplete work that seeks to advance our current knowledge in games and play through innovative or thought-provoking ideas. Great work all who presented! tinyurl.com/y27zs65w

Our Project Baseplate partners over at cmu.edu/gelfand and mattsmakerspace.org are continuing to amplify learning in Pittsburgh and beyond! Read more 👉 tinyurl.com/5xmuvnxb

The CTP is honored to celebrate the 2025 Andy Awards @cmu.edu and to be recognized in three categories: 🏆Commitment to Community Engagement 🏆Commitment to Excellence 🏆Teamwork and Collaboration Congratulations to all the nominees and thank you for all you do to support CMU! 👉 tinyurl.com/3enrj7b7

The CTP’s Director, Dr. Jessica Hammer, shared her expertise to support producers of the long-running @pbs.org series NOVA as they explored collaborative science learning through the mediums of livestreams like Twitch. Check out the results of the research!

We’re thrilled to share The Center for Transformational Play's Project Baseplate partner Emily Sanders is helping support playful learning at two elementary schools thanks to a collaboration with mattsmakerspace.org! 🧱👷⛹️

When you smile, the whole world smiles with you. Thanks to Professor Emeritus Scott Fahlman, we send smiles a thousand miles through our keyboards. September 19, 1982 marks the birthday of the emoticon: A simple :-) sent over a CMU message board. #CTPScotty was thrilled to swing by the celebration!

Our friends @geekwire.com have launched season two of the Does Compute podcast. On this week's episode, learn more about how play creates connections and cultivates empathy as The CTP's Director, Dr. Jessica Hammer, explains how play can open doors for people of all ages.

📢Registration Update! We have extended the deadline for Early Bird registrations until Monday, 15.09. (AoW)! Find out more about our registration fees and register here: chiplay.acm.org/2025/registr... @acm-sigchi.bsky.social #chiplay #chiplay2025

📢 Get ready for #chiplay2025! You can now register for online and on-site attendance. Find out more about our registration fees and register here: chiplay.acm.org/2025/registr... #chiplay @acm-sigchi.bsky.social

Thrilled to highlight our partners at the Richard King Mellon Foundation and their great work showcased on @oppinsights.bsky.social's new Community Impacts page. Our collaboration includes funding for research exploring how play can help build cross-class relationships among children. 📊👏 🧱

Work led by researchers @cmu.edu's Center for Transformational Play has the potential to not only make video editing a less complicated process, but also make AI a creative partner for video content creators 🎶💻

Our colleagues at @scsatcmu.bsky.social have come up with a tool that could change the future of manufacturing, one brick at a time 🤖🧱

We love to see CMU alumni make good… especially when they find a way to help people learn how to say “gamification” in multiple languages 😉🗺️🗣️

Our friends over at Carnegie Mellon University School of Computer Science are doing their part to ensure that we never have to worry about Triffids... (and other, actually real invasive species either) 🌿🔬 🧪

Games like Minecraft can be more than just a fun place to play. For some people, especially vulnerable children, they can serve as a powerful means of self expression and mental health support. 🧱♥️

July 24th is Amelia Earhart Day, marking the 1897 birthday of the famed aviator. Why not celebrate by taking flight from your desktop? Check out the linked ranking of flight simulator options for your PC …and tell your boss you’re just practicing for a “smooth takeoff” on that next project.🧑‍✈️🛩️

Our friends over at Tekko are gearing up for a weekend filled with gaming, fashion, music, and more! Pittsburgh’s Japanese pop culture convention runs through Sunday at Lawrence Convention Center.

How fast can a pop culture sensation be turned into a playable experience? In the case of one of the hottest movies streaming on Netflix the answer might be a matter of months. (No matter where they end up, that soundtrack will be 🔥)

The unique climate science research of our friends over at Davis Data Driven Change @ucdavis.bsky.social has been accepted to Scenarios Forum 2025! They would be the youngest research team ever to attend! Visit their fundraising page to learn more about their work and to make a donation.