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Game Design

Game Research

I am a Games Researcher, Designer, Developer and Lecturer based at the University of Portsmouth in the sunny south of England. I also founded and manage Cold Cactus Games, a microstudio working on experimental titles, and Port in the Storm Games, our in-house development and publishing studio at the University.

 

Through my work, I aim to challenge preconceptions of games and play, to poke and prod at the limits of the game medium, and to break a few rules in the process. 

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Recent Media and Publications

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Designing
Player-Conscious Achievements

September 3rd, 2026

Chapter published in Trophy Cases: The Theory, Design, and Cultural Politics of Video Game Trophies and Achievements

Translating the Game Space Model from Analytic Framework to Practical Methodology for Game Development and Research

June 16th, 2026

Published in the Proceedings of DiGRA 2026

Breeding Unease and Distrust through Disruptive Design in Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs

March 19th, 2026

Chapter published in Games that Haunt Us: Gothic Game Space as a Living Nightmare

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©2026 Peter Howell.

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