May 28, 2026

Serious Play Conference Europe

52 minutes

Interview with Dr. Philipp Busch

The Serious Play Conference comes to Europe for the first time. Dr. Philipp Busch, co-organizer of the first European edition in Mainz, unpacks what it takes to move game-based learning from niche enthusiasm to cross-sector cultural change — and what happens when the right people finally share a room.

Philipp Busch on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipp-busch/

Serious Play Conference Europe 2026. Mainz, 18–19 June 2026: https://eu.seriousplayconf.com/

Serious Play Conference North America. Durham, August 5-7 2026: https://seriousplayconf.com/homepage/

Sue Bohle – Founder of the Serious Play Conference – on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suebohle/

Paul Darvasi on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-darvasi-ph-d-431688126/

Elisa Navarro Chinchilla on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elisachinch/

Gold Bug Interactive in Montreal: https://goldbuginteractive.com/

Mind Games – Philipp's company: https://www.mind-games.online

International Serious Play Awards: https://eu.seriousplayconf.com/awards/

Serious Play Conference on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/seriousplayconference

Serious Play Conference on Discord: https://discord.gg/xbT6kYCTqy

Philpp's book "Effective Serious Games Development. A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners". Routledge, Abingdon, UK, 2025: https://www.routledge.com/Effective-Serious-Games-Development-A-Step-by-Step-Guide-for-Beginners/Busch/p/book/9781032610139

Meta-Analysis of the Cognitive and Motivational Effects of Serious Games by Wouters, Pieter & Nimwegen, C. & Oostendorp, H. & Spek, Erik. (2013): https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263936571_A_Meta-Analysis_of_the_Cognitive_and_Motivational_Effects_of_Serious_Games

Human Resource Development Quarterly Article (2024) from Shukla, Sanket and Ashwani “Factors affecting transfer of online training: A systematic literature review and proposed taxonomy”: https://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.21518

Serious Games Podcast episode on the Counterplay Festival with Matthias Paulsen: https://seriousgames.podigee.io/46-counterplay

Johannisnacht Mainz — city festival running alongside the Serious Play Conference: https://www.mainzer-johannisnacht.de/en/

Gamescon by Koelnmesse GmbH: https://www.gamescom.global/en

Happy Working Podcast with Manuel Grassler ("Spielen ist eine Superpower") – in German language: https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/happy-working/id1876027540?l=en-GB&i=1000767188052

Lernkino featuring compact keynote impulses from Dr. Philipp Busch and Julian Kea. Mainz, 17 June 2026: https://lernkino.com/tour/mainz-lernkino

Discount code for the Serious Play Conference Europe 2026 for Serious Games Podcast listeners: SERIOUSGAMESPODCAST20, https://eu.seriousplayconf.com/registration/

Music: "Blanks" by Podington Bear (CC BY-NC 3.0, soundofpicture.com). A big thank you for sharing this wonderful track.

For feedback or to share your own experiences, please reach out at [email protected] or connect with Julian on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kilearning/

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By Julian Kea