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Short abstract

This paper presents findings from the BRIDGE project, which developed a participatory, scenario-based game to support ethical deliberation on digitalisation in higher education. Pilot testing shows how structured play can enable stakeholder engagement and collective reflection on ethical dilemmas.

Long abstract

Universities are undergoing rapid digital transformation as artificial intelligence, digital learning environments, and data infrastructures increasingly shape teaching, assessment, and governance. Yet institutional responses often remain fragmented or top-down, with limited opportunities for staff and students to collectively deliberate on the ethical implications of these technologies. This paper presents findings from the BRIDGE project (Building Responsible and Inclusive Digitalisation through Game-based Engagement), funded by the Horizon Europe REINFORCING programme, which develops a participatory ethics game to support more inclusive and reflexive approaches to responsible digitalisation in higher education.

Drawing on participatory action research and Social Lab methodologies, the project co-developed a low-tech, scenario-based game designed to facilitate ethical deliberation among diverse stakeholders. Participants engage with real-world digitalisation dilemmas and collectively negotiate institutional responses from different ethical perspectives, creating a space for embedded ethical reflection within organisational decision-making.

We report findings from a series of pilot workshops involving academics, students, professional services staff, and external stakeholders. These pilots generated insights into how structured gameplay can surface value tensions, encourage perspective-taking, and open discussion of governance choices that are often treated as purely technical decisions. The results informed the refinement of the game mechanics and the development of a stakeholder engagement framework.

The paper argues that game-based participatory methods can function as practical tools for anticipatory governance, enabling organisations to explore ethical implications of digital technologies before policies are formalised. In doing so, the study contributes to STS debates on responsible innovation, participatory governance, and the integration of ethics into technoscientific practice.