ÌÇÐÄTV

Interview with Pippa Coyle

Who are you, what year of study are you in, what dept?

I’m Pippa, a 3rd Year Chemistry student and I created the game Lab Rats as part of the IATL Serious Tabletop Game Design and Development module last year.

I’m here to talk about my time on the Serious Tabletop Games Design and Development IATL module, and how it has opened my eyes to a variety of new experiences.

Why did you choose the Serious Tabletop Games and Development IATL module?

I was about to start my second year of my Chemistry degree, and while I was enjoying it, I felt like I needed a break from doing chemistry all the time. When I heard about this module I was intrigued. I play a lot of board games and card games, as well as other tabletop games like Dungeons and Dragons, so this sounded like the perfect module for me to take.

What did you learn from the module and the other students from other departments?

This module taught me a lot about the intricacies that come with designing a tabletop game, especially things like the different types of ‘randomness’ and how they can dramatically change the aims or outcomes of your game depending on the ones you include. There are so many things to consider before a game can be playable.

I also made so many friends in this module, some of whom I have kept in close contact with. As a chemistry student, I tended to only really talk to other chemistry or STEM students, but this module introduced me to Theatre, English, and Law students, people from all over the university. They were all lovely and it was great to be around a group of people who shared my passions for tabletop gaming.

Tell us a bit more about how or why you designed your game and the decisions you made when designing it.

I am a firm believer in the power of games for teaching, especially as a method to teach those for whom the ‘standard’ teaching methods are not working. This is why I aimed my game at younger secondary-school age students, or even older primary-school students. If they are not engaging with normal science lessons, they are probably less likely to want to pursue things like Chemistry further than they have to. I believe that by introducing concepts like laboratory equipment in a setting that feels fun and engaging, it is not only more likely to stick with them, but it could also inspire them to explore these concepts further. This is why I created Lab Rats, which is a set-collection card game about building experiments in a lab, which requires minimal chemistry knowledge to get into.

 Why did you decide to go to the UK Games Expo (UKGE). Did you enjoy it?

As part of the module, Chris Evans and Devon Allcoat, the module leaders, invited me to the UKGE to present my game to the public on their stall (2025). The UK Games EXPO (UKGE) is the largest tabletop games convention in the UK and one of the largest board and hobby games events in the world, spanning 72,000 sqm of the NEC Halls and offering over 800 exhibitors.

The exhibition was very fun, and it made me realise that this is the industry I want to work in. A few people even asked to buy a copy of my game! As a result, I attended the UKGE with my family this year (who also love board games) and had an equally great time. Everyone there is so friendly and willing to talk about games, and the atmosphere is very welcoming. You are likely to find tables wanting people to join in their games and make new friends.

Did you meet a publisher there? How did you feel when they said they were interested?

I had already decided that this year at UKGE I would step out of my comfort zone and talk to more people than I would normally. This resulted in me having a conversation with a games publisher. They agreed to play Lab Rats with me, and then enjoyed it so much, we played a second game of it! It felt really fulfilling that people wanted to play my game in the first place. Then, when the conversation pivoted to potentially publishing my game, I was almost in shock. The conversation touched on things that I might want to change if I were to publish, such as card numbers, minor design tweaks, and potential new cards to add, which were all very useful to hear. Then, I was asked if I had time for a more in-depth discussion, which I unfortunately did not have the time for, but they told me to send them an email so we could talk further, and I am hopeful that something will come of this.

As you've discussed the opportunity to commercialise your game, what have you learnt from the process?

Even if this specific opportunity does not result in anything, I am grateful for it, as I have realised I am capable of these sorts of discussions, and I now have the confidence to keep looking for new opportunities.

 What's next for 'Pippa and Lab Rats'? 

I have started my own social media pages (Instagram/TikTok/Youtube) to talk about my game design experience, and part of UKGE this year for me involved interviewing other stallholders, so the social media aspect and community around tabletop gaming is something I am eager to explore further. I also have a few new game ideas that I am working on, but those are in the early stages of development. Once I have finished my Chemistry degree, I hope to spend a lot more time working on my games, and I am hoping to do a master’s degree in Innovation and Entrepreneurship at ÌÇÐÄTV, to further develop my skills.

For Lab Rats specifically, I hope to publish it professionally, whether through publishers I have been speaking to, or through crowdfunding ventures. Either way, I will hopefully one day have a stall of my own at the UKGE!