Safeguarding Gaming Spaces

Safeguarding Gaming Spaces is a research project asking “what are the unique blend of issues that make safeguarding in analogue gaming spaces distinctive?”

Tabletop gaming has seen a significant growth over the last fifteen years – with board games, trading card games, role playing games (like Dungeons and Dragons), and miniature wargaming all seeing much greater wider cultural awareness, of what were once niche hobbies.

Alongside the general growth in sales, public and semi-public spaces to play games have increased. Although statistics are hard to come by, highstreets are now home to Warhammer shops, gaming clubs, board game cafes, and new shops specialising purely in tabletop gaming.

However with this comes safeguarding challenges – and we’re studying what those are, and how we can better support gaming communities to ensure their spaces stay safe.

To find out more, and be added to a mailing list for updates, email Peter at games@leeds.ac.uk.