Creation of Retro Games Room Supporting Student Belonging

This paper examines the creation of a retro games room at the University of the West of Scotland, developed through staff-student co-creation within a BSc Computer Games Development programme. Its central thesis is that student belonging, wellbeing, and engagement can be fostered by combining a Community of Practice (CoP) with an affinity space approach, with shared interest in gaming serving as the connective mechanism. The work is grounded in a scoping review of literature on belonging, retention, and social learning, and it proposes a grassroots model that other educators may adapt.

The study's principal findings come from initial student feedback drawn from 22 respondents. Responses were strongly positive: 88% agreed the room enhanced their programme experience, 94% agreed it supported peer social interaction, and 83% agreed it supported a shared student identity. These figures should be read with caution, as the response rate was low and the sample was convenience-based, which substantially limits generalisability beyond this cohort and institution. The authors acknowledge these constraints and frame their conclusions as preliminary.

In scope, the paper is confined to a single programme at one Scottish institution and to early-stage experiences of a newly established space, rather than longitudinal outcomes such as retention or attainment. Its theoretical contribution lies in bridging CoP and affinity space theory in a higher education setting, while its practical contribution is a reproducible co-design process. The authors call for further cross-disciplinary research to test whether the model yields comparable benefits across other contexts and student populations.