Dr Mattia Thibault is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Faculty of Information Technology and Communications, Tampere University. He is a member of the Gamification Group. and Affiliated Senior Researcher at the Centre of Excellence in Game Culture Studies. His research projects “LudoSpace” (CoE GAMECULT) and “ReClaim” (EU MSCA-IF 793835) focus on urban gamification and the relationship between play and the built environment. In 2017 he earned a PhD in Semiotics and Media at Turin University, where he subsequently worked as research fellow in 2018. Thibault 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 the Waag (Netherlands). Dr Thibault’s research revolves around smart and playable cities from the perspectives of play & gamification research, semiotics, and critical/speculative design. In particular, it focuses on how play can be a tool for bottom-up urban reappropriations and on the role of games and gamification in city-making.