Every week, 90% of children and 56% of adults in the UK play video games, yet researchers lack the detailed, long-term data needed to understand how gaming actually affects health, behaviour, and skills. The UK government’s Video Games Research Framework has identified this data gap as a critical problem, noting that regulators, educators, and health officials are making decisions about gaming without solid evidence. Game companies collect vast amounts of click-level data from players, but rarely share it with academics due to privacy, financial, and competitive concerns. The Smart Data Donation Service aims to change this by building a secure, publicly funded platform where gamers can download their personal data from companies—as permitted under UK GDPR—and donate it for research. The system will include encrypted storage, visualisation tools that let players explore their own data, and tiered access for researchers, including synthetic datasets for public use. If successful, this would create the world’s first nation-scale data donation service for gaming. It could transform how policymakers, health officials, and game designers understand the societal effects of an industry that generates over £7.8 billion annually in the UK alone.
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The Data Donation Service for Games (DDS) aims to catalyse a paradigm shift in the quality and accessibility of smart data for video gaming, addressing a significant gap in our understanding of video games' societal effects. This initiative emerges in response to both the UK's substantial engagement with video gaming and the recognized limitations of current research data, as articulated in recent findings and governmental frameworks. The UK video gaming industry is a major economic force, with a consumer revenue surpassing £7.8 billion annually. The substantial engagement levels—90% of children and 56% of adults playing games weekly—underscore the potential societal impact of gaming. This includes effects on physical and mental health, skills, behaviour, and social norms. However, debates around these impacts remain unsettled, primarily due to the lack of granular, longitudinal data that links gaming behaviour with real-world outcomes. The Video Games Research Framework (VGRF), launched by the UK government, highlights this deficiency, calling for improved access to detailed behavioural gaming data. This framework is supported by several stakeholders including Ofcom and the DCMS, who acknowledge that their regulatory, educational, and health-related efforts are impeded by the current data inadequacy. DDS proposes to address these challenges by facilitating the donation of individual data by players. Game companies typically collect extensive, click-level data over long periods, yet this rich data is rarely shared with academics due to various ethical, financial, and competitive concerns. Under the UK's GDPR regulations, individuals can download their personal data from companies—a capability that DDS plans to leverage by enabling gamers to access, understand, and donate their data securely for research purposes. This service aims to be transformative by creating a publicly funded, secure, and privacy-preserving platform managed by academic institutions for the public good. It will enable gamers to explore their own data visually, enriching their understanding and potentially motivating them to contribute their data for research. The DDS aspires to build the world's first nation-scale data donation service, which could fundamentally alter the landscape of gaming research and policy-making. The project builds on the University of York's previous success with Weavr, a large-scale data analysis and visualisation platform for XR gaming, which demonstrated the feasibility and public interest in data-sharing initiatives. DDS will extend this model, providing a comprehensive system that includes a personal data vault, encrypted data storage, and easy-to-use tools for data donation. The envisioned DDS will be populated initially with a large-scale, nationally representative dataset from various cohorts, ensuring a broad and inclusive base for research. Furthermore, the system's design will be informed by ongoing consultations with researchers, policymakers, industry, and especially young people and underrepresented communities, ensuring alignment with the needs and values of all participants. In terms of practical applications, the DDS will offer different levels of data access, including synthetic datasets for broader public use and more controlled access to sensitive data for qualified researchers. This approach aims to balance the need for privacy with the demand for detailed data that can drive more effective game design, regulation, and policy. DDS represents a strategic response to the urgent need for better evidence to inform policy and industry practices concerning video gaming. By enhancing the quality, scale, and accessibility of gaming data, DDS will provide a more reliable foundation for understanding the effects of games on society.
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