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Ruaridh Dall

@ruaridhdall.bsky.social
83 followers 333 following 44 posts

Serious Games | Empathy | PhD Candidate | #universityofaberdeen | #GBL

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Ruaridh Dall @ruaridhdall.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
New publication! A narrative review on digital games and empathy describing the themes and mechanics that commercially available games use to promote empathy for those suffering hardship, illness or marginalisation. Useful for developers that present lived experience in their serious games.
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Ruaridh Dall @ruaridhdall.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
At the Mountains of Madness with the title reveal and sound cues from The Thing? Also it's a penguin waddling simulator? I was intrigued before the demo, but now I want to see where this is going. store.steampowered.com/app/3695930/...
store.steampowered.com
Penguin Colony on Steam
Cosmic horror, through the eyes of a penguin. Rival human factions have come to your home in the Antarctic, seeking an ancient and inconceivable being. Observe their descent into insanity in this fait...
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Ruaridh Dall @ruaridhdall.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
RIP to a fantasy art legend. Sad to hear that John Blanche has passed away. He was the visionary genius behind Inquisitor, a game that has brought me 25 years of joy. So many of his pieces directly inspired the minis for that game. Here's his Inquisitor Tannenberg that I luckily have a print of.
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Ruaridh Dall @ruaridhdall.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
I am loving Lexispell by @mreliptik.bsky.social! Scrabble x Balatro. It's straying pretty close to #seriousgames territory for vocabulary. My kids are having a blast with it as well. mreliptik.itch.io/lexispell
mreliptik.itch.io
Lexispell by MrEliptik
Strategy meets physics, in this roguelike word game, where you combine spelling with cool upgrades to score high
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Ruaridh Dall @ruaridhdall.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Wellington looks weird without a traffic cone. #minis #perryminiatures #nerdlings
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Ruaridh Dall @ruaridhdall.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Delighted that my abstract on "Design and usability testing of a digital serious game for improved empathy in dental students" has been accepted for presentation at ADEE 2026 in Budapest! Can't wait to share these results from my #phd! #adee #gbl
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Ruaridh Dall @ruaridhdall.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
Today I am presenting on the subject of empathy for the other in digital game narratives & how they might inform empathy training in healthcare. Never thought a #phd in dental education would lead to a film & media conference but my research has become increasingly interdisciplinary! #aberdeenuni
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Ruaridh Dall @ruaridhdall.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
I'm coming to the end of my PhD journey I have been reflecting on things that have gone well and things that didn't. Good: I typed up major points from every paper I read and used Mendeley to manage the references! Having all this info available for my thesis writing is invaluable! #phd #gbl
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Ruaridh Dall @ruaridhdall.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
Equal parts excited and terrified to have started laying out the potential structure of my thesis. #gbl #seriousgames #empathy #universityofaberdeen #phd
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Ruaridh Dall @ruaridhdall.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
First publication from my PhD project up for early viewing online in the European Journal of Dental Education. Very thankful for the supervision and collaboration from Jaya Jayasinghe, @daisyabbott.bsky.social, George Cherukara, & Paul Bond. doi.org/10.1111/eje....
doi.org
Scoping Literature Review of Digital Empathy Games in Healthcare Education and Training
Introduction The study of serious games and their ability to develop empathy in users is a developing area of research. Empathy is recognised as being important to the practice of patient-centered h.....
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Ruaridh Dall @ruaridhdall.bsky.social · 03/11/2025
Breathing a huge sigh of relief this morning as my #twine upload to #itch seems to work fine in browsers on PC, android and iOS. One week until I sit down some participants to test my #seriousgame
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Ruaridh Dall @ruaridhdall.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
Games I have played this year as research into serious games, empathy development, & writing for games: 17) Harold Halibut by @slowbros.bsky.social store.steampowered.com/app/924750/H... Visually impressive stopmotion-like characters in a slow-paced tale about finding your place amongst the stars.
store.steampowered.com
Harold Halibut on Steam
Harold Halibut is a handmade narrative game about friendship and life on a city-sized spaceship submerged in an alien ocean. Join Harold as he explores a vibrant retro-future world in his quest to fin...
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Ruaridh Dall @ruaridhdall.bsky.social · 15/09/2025
That conference poster feeling! My poster on a narrative review of empathy games that may be of use in healthcare education clinical empathy training. Up on the wall at the Global Symposium on Empathy in Healthcare at the The University of Leicester. @empathy-centre.bsky.social
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Ruaridh Dall @ruaridhdall.bsky.social · 20/08/2025
Arrived in Dublin for #adee 2025. Looking forward to the dental education talks today and tomorrow. My turn to present some of my research into dental student attitudes to communication skills, empathy, and digital games on Friday. #empathy #healthcare #dentistry #gbl
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Ruaridh Dall @ruaridhdall.bsky.social · 21/07/2025
Games I have played this year as research into serious games, empathy development, & writing for games: 16) Without a Dawn store.steampowered.com/app/3145620/... by @jessemakkonen.com A tale of anxiety, depression, and a tortured soul. Wonderful ASCII-style graphics and great sound design.
store.steampowered.com
Save 20% on Without a Dawn on Steam
Without a Dawn is a dark, psychological, and philosophical visual horror novel featuring hauntingly beautiful pseudo-ASCII art.
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Ruaridh Dall @ruaridhdall.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
Games I have played this year as research into serious games, empathy development, & writing for games: 15) passage.toolness.org by @jason-rohrer.bsky.social A game about attachment, aging, and bereavement said wordlessly.‬ Easily worth 5 mins of your time!
passage.toolness.org
Passage
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Ruaridh Dall @ruaridhdall.bsky.social · 13/07/2025
Easy to forget sometimes just how spectacular the views from random housing estates in Inverness can be.
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Ruaridh Dall @ruaridhdall.bsky.social · 02/07/2025
Games I have played this year as research into serious games, empathy development, & writing for games: 14) A Butterfly by @alienmelon.bsky.social store.steampowered.com/app/3439300/... Very interesting approach to telling a poem about rebirth by embedding verses in a 3D world.
store.steampowered.com
Save 51% on A Butterfly on Steam
The abyss called your name. You followed it here. Now you are its prisoner. A Butterfly is part horror, part interactive poem about overcoming and bittersweet surrender
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Ruaridh Dall @ruaridhdall.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
Games I have played this year as research into serious games, empathy development, & writing for games: 13) Doki Doki Literature Club by @dansalva.to store.steampowered.com/app/1388880/... A subversive take on the visual novel romance game. Without spoiling, does present mental health issues.
store.steampowered.com
Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! on Steam
Welcome to the club! Write poems for your crush and experience the terror of school romance in this critically-acclaimed psychological horror story.
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Ruaridh Dall @ruaridhdall.bsky.social · 16/06/2025
Games I have played this year as research into serious games, empathy development, and writing for games: 12) Venba by @visaigames.bsky.social store.steampowered.com/app/1491670/... Uses cooking games to tell a story of the complexity of cultural identity in a new place.
store.steampowered.com
Save 60% on Venba on Steam
Venba is a short narrative cooking game, where you play as an Indian mom who immigrates to Canada with her family in the 1980s. Cook various dishes and restore lost recipes, hold branching conversatio...
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Ruaridh Dall @ruaridhdall.bsky.social · 02/06/2025
Games I have played this year as research into serious games, empathy development, and writing for games: 11) www.quandarygame.org by learninggamesnetwork.org A serious game for teaching school children critical thinking and perspective-taking, ethics, and practicing empathy
quandarygame.org
Home | Quandary
Shape the future of a new society with ethical decision making. Play Quandary, a free educational online game to get kids motivated and excited to learn.
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Ruaridh Dall @ruaridhdall.bsky.social · 19/05/2025
Games I have played this year as research into serious games, empathy development, and writing for games: 10) Chestnut Grove by @philipdrobar.bsky.social philip-drobar.itch.io/chestnut-grove Pandemic media walking sim. Useful for preserving & sharing what the experience of 2020 was like for many.
philip-drobar.itch.io
Chestnut Grove by Philip Drobar
A short walking simulator set in in the COVID-19 pandemic, made by Philip Drobar.
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Ruaridh Dall @ruaridhdall.bsky.social · 14/05/2025
Amazingly, had a second abstract accepted for a conference presentation in the space of a week! I'm off to ADEE '25 to talk student attitudes on communication skills training, empathy in practice, and games for education & leisure. #gbl #empathy #dentaleducation #adee2025 #universityofaberdeen #phd
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Ruaridh Dall @ruaridhdall.bsky.social · 12/05/2025
Games I have played this year* as research into serious games, empathy development, and writing for games: 9) store.steampowered.com/app/1350200/... by @halfmermaid.co Rebuild the narrative of what happened to Marissa Marcel by diving into footage from 3 lost films and question what identity is.
store.steampowered.com
IMMORTALITY on Steam
Marissa Marcel was a film star. She made three movies. But none of the movies were ever released. And Marissa Marcel disappeared. An interactive trilogy from Sam Barlow, creator of Her Story.
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Ruaridh Dall @ruaridhdall.bsky.social · 09/05/2025
Had an abstract accepted for a poster presentation at the Global Empathy in Healthcare Network Symposium! I'll be sharing findings from a review that compares commercially available & serious games and their potential for developing empathy in healthcare students. @empathy-centre.bsky.social #gbl
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Ruaridh Dall @ruaridhdall.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
Games I have played this year* as research into serious games, empathy development, and writing for games: 8) Fractured Minds by Emily Mitchell store.steampowered.com/app/688740/F... A game about the haunting effects of anxiety that sufferers cannot seem to escape. @wiredproductions.com *Replayed
store.steampowered.com
Fractured Minds on Steam
Fractured Minds is an immersive artistic short game, exploring anxiety and mental health issues. Embark on a journey through the human psyche to experience the everyday challenges associated with thes...
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Reposted by Ruaridh Dall
Gareth DAMIAN MARTIN | Jump Over the Age @jumpovertheage.com · 05/05/2025
Happy CITIZEN SLEEPER DAY! 🥳 The series is 3 years old today! To celebrate I just released SPINDLEJACK a free, print and play solo TTRPG about zero-g bike couriers! 🚴‍♀️Grab it here: jump-over-the-age.itch.io/citizen-slee... We also have new series art, and some fun stats below too 👇
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Reposted by Ruaridh Dall
Institute of Health Equity @marmotihe.bsky.social · 06/05/2025
New @who.int global report shows within-country health inequities are widening and the health gap targets will be missed, largely due to a lack of political will to tackle the structural drivers of poor health @michaelmarmot.bsky.social @sudhvir.bsky.social #AllforEquity bit.ly/3SdE4lo
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Ruaridh Dall @ruaridhdall.bsky.social · 28/04/2025
Games I have played this year as research into serious games, empathy development, and writing for games: 7) Blackhaven by @historiated.bsky.social store.steampowered.com/app/1668610/... Walking sim which shows how racism distorts the presentation of history. It's free, play it!
store.steampowered.com
Blackhaven on Steam
Blackhaven is a first-person narrative game that follows Kendra Turner, a college intern at Blackhaven Hall, a historic mansion burned during the American Revolution. Working alone on a holiday, Kendr...
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Ruaridh Dall @ruaridhdall.bsky.social · 21/04/2025
Games I have played this year as research into serious games, empathy development, and writing for games: 6) Runo by runogame store.steampowered.com/app/1642130/... Walking sim about finno-karelian folkore hiding beneath the joy of taking a traditional Finnish summer retreat.
store.steampowered.com
Runo on Steam
A walking simulator about dear memories, overcoming obstacles, and finding your path. Experience a story inspired by finno-karelian folklore.
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Ruaridh Dall @ruaridhdall.bsky.social · 14/04/2025
Games I have played this year as research into serious games, empathy development, and writing for games: 5) A Highland Song by @inkle.co store.steampowered.com/app/1240060/... Journey through the hills and glens learning Scottish folklore along the way. Trad music score is a bonus.
store.steampowered.com
A Highland Song on Steam
Moira McKinnon is running away. A wild adventure through the Scottish Highlands, with open platforming and dynamic storytelling, maps and music. From the creators of Heaven's Vault and 80 Days.
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Ruaridh Dall @ruaridhdall.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
Games I have played this year* as research into serious games, empathy development, and writing for games: 4: 1000x Resist by @sunsetvisitor.studio store.steampowered.com/app/1675830/... A narrative sci-fi game that considers the effects of trauma on familial relationships in a search for truth.
store.steampowered.com
Save 25% on 1000xRESIST on Steam
1000xRESIST is a thrilling sci-fi adventure. The year is unknown, and a disease spread by an alien invasion keeps you underground. You are Watcher. You dutifully fulfil your purpose in serving the ALL...
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Reposted by Ruaridh Dall
School of Innovation & Technology @sit-gsa.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
Meet the Viruses - explore the 3D gallery of viruses, free in your browser: sit-gsa.itch.io/meet-the-virus - work with @uofglasgow.bsky.social @cvrinfo.bsky.social #virology #virus
sit-gsa.itch.io
Meet The Viruses by School of Innovation & Technology @ GSA
Explore the Virus Gallery
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Ruaridh Dall @ruaridhdall.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
Games I have played this year as research into serious games, empathy development, and writing for games: 3) Year Unknown by @julianh.dev store.steampowered.com/app/2565520/... Walking Sim about the world millennia after the last human has left. What is knowledge without the life that created it?
store.steampowered.com
Year Unknown on Steam
A story-based exploration game about the very far future. With the help of two Artificial Intelligences, explore a universe conquered by humanity, uncover your purpose in it, and try to stop it from f...
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Ruaridh Dall @ruaridhdall.bsky.social · 17/03/2025
Games I have played this year as research into serious games, empathy development, and writing for games: 2) A Space for the Unbound store.steampowered.com/app/1201270/... by @mojiken.bsky.social Themes: processing grief against the backdrop of an abusive parent and the pressures of teenage life.
store.steampowered.com
Save 45% on A Space for the Unbound on Steam
A magical adventure about two high school sweethearts set at the end of their school days - and the end of the world. Explore a crumbling town and help friends face their inner demons, which could be ...
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Reposted by Ruaridh Dall
Dr Daisy Abbott @daisyabbott.bsky.social · 10/03/2025
Another video abstract for one of my #GBL papers. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3UO... Full paper is: Abbott, Daisy (2020) Beyond Vicarious Learning: Embedding Dialogic Learning into Educational Games. radar.gsa.ac.uk/7343/ #Games4Research
youtube.com
Beyond Vicarious Learning: Embedding Dialogic Learning into Educational Games
YouTube video by Daisy Abbott: Game-based Learning Research
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Ruaridh Dall @ruaridhdall.bsky.social · 10/03/2025
Games I have played this year as research into serious games, empathy development, and writing for games: 1) Brukel - store.steampowered.com/app/1073900/... by @bobdeschutter.be A walking sim about civilians under occupation in WW2. Novel method of sharing firsthand history to promote empathy.
store.steampowered.com
Brukel on Steam
A first-person exploration game based on the actual memories of a 92-year-old grandmother, told to players in her own voice. Take pictures of what remains of her abandoned childhood home to uncover th...
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Ruaridh Dall @ruaridhdall.bsky.social · 31/01/2025
Today's reading has been all about constructivisim in #gamebasedlearning. Distilling this down into: Explore, interact, get new info, get rewards, repeat, reflect, use in real world.
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Ruaridh Dall @ruaridhdall.bsky.social · 13/01/2025
PhD work isn't all bad. About to dive into this tome! @hannahnicklin.bsky.social
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