To gain a doctoral degree in Norway, the candidate must successfully hold a trial lecture. 10 working days before the defence, the candidate is given a topic that is outside the scope of the doctoral thesis but within the overall field of study.

The topic for my trial lecture was The Design of Games and Playful Experiences for Nonhuman Creatures. The challenge was:

Please present an overview of research and practical work that has been done on the design of games and playful experiences for non-human creatures (such as captive or wild animals or domesticated animals or pets). Ground this in theory that provides an illuminating synthesis for thinking about the design and understanding of play and games.

You can watch the zoom recording of the session in the video below. Note: The video starts with an introduction to the entire session with the Doctoral Defence afterwards, while the trial lecture starts at 5:30. The lecture lasts about an hour, including questions. If you want to watch the defence, you can do so here.

https://youtu.be/ddBxcPLrMdY