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This blog recaps NIER members’ presence at Press Start 2: Embracing the Absurd on 15 May 2026. It highlights some NIERers’ participation in the Lightning Talk sessions and introduces their work-in-progress projects. It also outlines my vision for future NIER events.
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On 15 May 2026, a group of NIERers attended Press Start 2: Embracing the Absurd, hosted at Bath Spa University. This year’s theme, Embracing the Absurd, draws inspiration from Camus’ reflection on the persistence of effort in the face of recurring challenges – technological development continually outpaces regulatory responses, and legal reforms are introduced only to confront new platforms, new technologies, and new forms of digital interaction.
Thanks to Dr Sevra Guzel🧚‍♀️ and Dr Amy Thomas🧚‍♀️, we had the wonderful opportunity to meet up informally at this incredible conference on video game law, technology, and digital culture. This blog recaps the talks we put together and some of the activities we took part in.
A photo of NIERers! (From left: Oscar, Ruiyu, Anyi, Weiwei, Talha, Junxiang, Hannah) (Pic Credit: Eoghan)
The PhD/ECR Lightning Talk session, convened and chaired by me, Weiwei Yi, saw the highest level of NIERer involvement at the conference. The session brought together early-career researchers based in the UK and Ireland, who presented their work-in-progress projects on law and games. Three out of the five presenters are founding members of NIER.
The first NIERer, Junxiang Feng from the University of Glasgow, explores the legal and practical challenges surrounding fan games in the video game industry. What I found particularly interesting is her effort to treat fan games as a distinct category, rather than simply grouping them with mods, remixes, or other forms of user-generated content.
Her research examines how copyright, trademark, and competition law shape the relationship between rights holders, fan creators, and players. Through examples such as Pokémon Uranium, she investigates why some companies tolerate fan creativity while others actively suppress it.
The second NIERer, Ruiyu Xu, also from the University of Glasgow, addresses one of the most challenging questions in game law: how copyright law should address interactive game mechanics. Rather than focusing solely on visual or narrative elements, she examines the legal status of gameplay systems, player interactions, interfaces, and rule-based mechanics.
Drawing on examples such as Palworld, Horizon, and Minecraft, she asks whether these interactive elements should be protected by copyright or remain within what she calls “IP negative space” to support creativity and competition. I was particularly impressed by her attempt to combine legal theory, historical analysis, and industry perspectives to better understand how innovation and copying coexist within game development.
The session also featured Oscar Verdoire, our third NIERer from Maynooth University, who explores the regulation of game mods and user-generated content, using these issues as a lens for understanding future legal challenges in the metaverse. His work traces how copyright law and contractual mechanisms, particularly end-user licence agreements, have historically governed modding communities and other forms of player creativity.
By distinguishing between different types of mods and examining their relationship with original games, he investigates how current regulatory approaches balance the interests of creators and publishers. What I found especially engaging was how he uses these existing debates to anticipate governance, ownership, and creativity in future virtual environments.
One of the most rewarding outcomes of Press Start 2 was a growing interest in NIER from the session's other two speakers, and we are very glad to welcome them to our community! We also want to introduce their work here.
Eoghan Watters, our new member from The Irish Game Makers Association, offers a fascinating example of research directly influencing industry practice. His research focuses on the development of the Irish games sector, examining its history, challenges, opportunities, and policy environment.
What stood out to me is how his work extends beyond academic analysis into practical impact, contributing to initiatives such as industry mapping, competency frameworks, funding schemes, and workforce development. His research highlights the importance of stronger links between academia, government, and industry, while also addressing regional development and skills shortages.
Mingzhu Zhang, also a new member from the University of Galway, discussed fan creation in the Chinese MMORPGÂ JX3, with a particular focus on the relationship between fandom, digital labour, and copyright law. Her central argument is that fan creators contribute significant value to games and communities, yet the language of gift culture often obscures this contribution.