Dr. Mattia Thibault is Assistant Professor (Tenure Track) in Translation in the Creative Industries at Tampere University. He joined the Gamification Group in 2018 with his project ReClaim, (Marie Sklodowska Curie IF) dedicated to the study of Urban Gamification. He is also a member of the Centre of Excellence in Game Culture Studies (GAMECULT), PLURAL, the UNITE Flaghisp and CONVERGENCE.
His work revolves around the synergies and translations between media and communication, playfulness and the built environment (real and digital). His research projects “LudoSpace” and “ReClaim” (EU MSCA-IF 793835) focused on urban gamification and bottom-up and punk ways to use playfulness for good. In 2017 he earned a PhD in Semiotics and Media at Turin University, where he subsequently worked as research fellow in 2018. He has been visiting researcher at Tartu University (Estonia), The Strong Museum of Play (Rochester, NY, US), Helsinki University (Finland), Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (Netherlands) and Waag | Technology and Society (Netherlands).
He often hides tiny rubber dinosaurs in public spaces.
Publications
Books
- Thibault, M. (ed.)(2022) Speculative Semiotics. Special Issue of Linguistic Frontiers. (link)
- Thibault, M. (2021) ReClaim, Urban Gamification for City Reappropriations – Final Report (link)
- Thibault, M. (2020) Ludosemiotica, il Gioco tra Segni, testi, pratiche e Discorsi, Rome: Aracne. 236 Pages (link)
- Thibault, M. (ed.)(2016) Gamification Urbana – Letture e riscritture ludiche degli spazi urbani. Rome: Aracne. 276 pages.(link)
Full list of publications and CV can be found here.