Dr Andrew Wedgbury is a Lecturer in Games Design at the University of Staffordshire. His research focuses on the intersection of supernatural horror, folklore, and interactive systems, using hauntology as a lens to explore how games can act as haunted technologies that preserve cultural memory while creating new forms of the uncanny.
His work combines insights from architecture, anthropology, and folklore studies with practice-based approaches that make use of handmade aesthetics, including watercolour, paper cut-outs, shadow puppetry, and experiments with scanned sculpture. Through these methods, he examines how stories, rituals, and spaces are reimagined through play, and how games can evoke ambiguity, lingering presence, and a sense of haunting.
As an educator, Dr Wedgbury encourages students to approach games critically and creatively, viewing them not only as entertainment but also as cultural artefacts capable of shaping heritage, memory, and imagination.
Visit Dr Wedgbury's website
Professional memberships and activities
Academic qualifications
- BA(Hon.) Archaeology & Anthropology, University of Birmingham
- MA Social Media, Birmingham City University
- Postgraduate Certificate in Research Methods, University of Worcester
- PhD Sports Sociology, University of Worcester
- Postgraduate Certificate in Higher & Professional Education
Expertise
- Supernatural horror and hauntology in game design
- Folklore and intangible cultural heritage in interactive media
- Handmade and material aesthetics in digital practice (watercolour, papercut, sculpture)
- Architectural and spatial approaches to horror
Research interests
- Emergent hauntings and procedural systems in games
- Cultural memory and the uncanny in digital environments
- Intersections of folklore, ritual, and interactive design
- Museums, heritage, and the preservation of intangible traditions through play
Publications
Wedgbury, A. (2023) ‘Leisure and Competitive Worlds on the Move’, in Leisure Studies Association Conference 2023: Re-creating Leisure – Bournemouth University.
Wedgbury, A. (2021) ‘The emergence of the Cyber Class: conspicuous consumption of the virtual kind’, in LEISURE STUDIES ASSOCIATION VIRTUAL CONFERENCE 2021 Leisure Identities, Health and Wellbeing. Southampton. Available at: https://www.solent.ac.uk/solent-sport/events/lsa-2021-conference.
Wedgbury, A. (2019) ‘Memes & Masculinity in Online Angling Culture’, in Sport & Discrimination Conference - Solent University.
Wedgbury, A. (2018) ‘Casting Further: Promoting Angling to A Wider Audience Through Social Media’, in Thriving or Surviving – Creating Resilient Fisheries”. Hull. Available at: https://ifm.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/IFM-49th-Annual-Conference-Programme.pdf.