Projects per year
Personal profile
Quote
“Researching game and play design, I try to put the fun in functional.”
Research profile
Erik van der Spek is Assistant Professor of Game and Play Design. He is the research director of the TU/e Game/Play Lab and secretary of the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) Technical Committee on Entertainment Computing (TC14). His research interests are the design of games and play for entertainment, learning, vitality and empathy. From playful interaction to immersive VR experiences, Van der Spek tries to discover the elements that engage us to construct imaginary magic circles, to have cathartic mediated presence experiences in fantasy environments, and that stimulate us to see the world in a newfound light.
Van der Spek has been a board member of the TU/e Data Science Center, chair of the ID Department Council and Squad Leader of the Vital Play, Play and Learn and Games and Play squads. He is currently in the steering committee and has been the program chair of ICEC. He has also been the student game competition chair for CHI Play, ICEC, and supervises more than 60 student games per year, some of which have won national or international prizes and recognition.
Academic background
Erik van der Spek holds an MSc in Game Technology (2007) and a PhD in Human-Computer Interaction (2011) from Utrecht University. Immediately after obtaining his doctorate, Van der Spek joined Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) as Assistant Professor. He also founded game design consultancy firm Game Descience in 2013.
Fingerprint
- 1 Similar Profiles
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Projects
- 1 Finished
-
Nano4Sports
Vos, S. B., Funk, M., van der Spek, E. D., Menheere, D., Brombacher, A. C., Schoumacher, J. & Vos, S. B.
1/01/17 → 31/12/19
Project: Research direct
File
-
A Breathtaking Journey. Appealing to Empathy in a Persuasive Mixed-Reality Game
Kors, M., Ferri, G., van der Spek, E. D., Ketel, C. & Schouten, B. A. M., 25 Feb 2021, Persuasive Gaming in Context. de la Hera, T., Jansz, J., Raessens, J. & Schouten, B. (eds.). Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, p. 95-118 24 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › Academic › peer-review
-
A Diary Study on the Exercise Intention-Behaviour Gap: Implications for the Design of Interactive Products
Menheere, D. S., Funk, M., van der Spek, E. D., Lallemand, C. & Vos, S. B., 2020, Design Research Society 2020. 17 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › Academic › peer-review
File78 Downloads (Pure) -
Exploring an augmented reality social learning game for elementary school students
Li, J., van der Spek, E. D., Yu, X., Hu, J. & Feijs, L., 21 Jun 2020, Proceedings of the Interaction Design and Children Conference, IDC 2020. Association for Computing Machinery, Inc, p. 508-518 11 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › Academic › peer-review
-
Exploring Fantasy Play in MathMythos AR
Zuo, T., Birk, M. V., Van Der Spek, E. D. & Hu, J., 2 Nov 2020, CHI PLAY '20: Extended Abstracts of the 2020 Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play. Association for Computing Machinery, Inc, p. 413-417 5 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › Academic › peer-review
-
Runner’s perceptions of reasons to quit running: Influence of gender, age and running-related characteristics
Menheere, D. S., Janssen, M. A., Funk, M., van der Spek, E. D., Lallemand, C. & Vos, S. B., Sep 2020, In: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 17, 17, 12 p., 6046.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review
Open AccessFile2 Citations (Scopus)48 Downloads (Pure)
Courses
Press/Media
-
-Eindhoven University of Technology: A motivational clothes hanger helps you keep running
Mathias Funk, Erik D. van der Spek, Steven B. Vos & Carine Lallemand
8/06/21
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Expert Comment
-
A motivational clothes hanger helps you keep running
Mathias Funk, Erik D. van der Spek, Steven B. Vos & Carine Lallemand
7/06/21
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Expert Comment
-
A motivational clothes hanger helps you keep running
Mathias Funk, Erik D. van der Spek, Steven B. Vos & Carine Lallemand
24/03/21
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Expert Comment
-
Runner’s Perceptions of Reasons to Quit Running: Influence of Gender, Age and Running-Related Characteristics
Mathias Funk, Erik D. van der Spek, Mark A. Janssen, Steven B. Vos & Carine Lallemand
1/01/20
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Expert Comment