BRIGHTHINK

Advance tickets available at Eventbrite

We are hoping to widen the scope of topics that we cover at Brighthink and this is the first of many new event ideas for 2026.

From basement tables and hand-drawn maps to blockbuster video games and global streaming phenomena, Dungeons & Dragons didn’t just invent a game — it sparked a cultural revolution.

Join us on an adventure into the history, legacy, and enduring appeal of tabletop role-playing games, as we trace how their core ideas of imagination, cooperation, and storytelling laid the foundations for the digital worlds we now play in. Whether you rolled your first d20 decades ago or came to RPGs through Warhammer, World of Warcraft, or live-streaming, this is a chance to explore how a niche hobby became a cornerstone of modern gaming.
Our panel brings together a merry fellowship of voices from across the role-playing universe: James Bennison (Role Playing James), Adam Tinworth, writer and digital culture expert, Esther MacCallum-Stewart, game studies scholar, and Christoph Sebastian-Deterding, game designer and researcher.

They will venture into how player-shaped narrative became a game design philosophy, how RPG mechanics migrated from the table to the screen, and they’ll explore how the hobby has shifted, welcoming more women and diverse voices - embracing stories that reflect all kinds of players.

Seasoned adventurers and curious newcomers are welcome on this quest as we map the past, present, and possible futures of RPGs - and why dice still matter in an age of algorithms.

ADVANCE TICKETS available at EVENTBRITE
(RSVP is £12 on the door, on the night)

How do we nurture our own — and our children’s — brains so we can thrive amid rapid technological and societal change?
How do we not just survive, but flourish, in the age of AI?
Neuroscientist Dr Hannah Critchlow invites us on a fascinating journey through the latest discoveries in brain science as she explores the ideas behind her new book, The 21st Century Brain. Drawing on cutting-edge research, she reveals why the skills that matter most in the decades ahead are curiosity, compassion, communication, courage and creativity.
Rather than competing with machines, she argues, we must lean into what makes us distinct — our capacity to collaborate, to intuit, to empathise and to imagine. In a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, our greatest advantage lies not in thinking more like machines, but in becoming more fully human.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Hannah Critchlow is a neuroscientist, science communicator and a Fellow at Magdalene College, University of Cambridge. Her research explores neuropsychiatric disorders and the biological basis of behaviour. She has presented numerous science documentaries for the BBC , and is the author of popular science books including Joined-Up Thinking and The Science of Fate.

This event will take place upstairs in The Nightingale Room at The Grand Central Pub, Brighton. Unfortunately there is no wheelchair access available at this venue.

• DOORS OPEN : 19:00
• TALK STARTS : 19:30
• AUDIENCE Q&A : 20:30
• BOOK SIGNING: 21:00

ADVANCE TICKETS available at EVENTBRITE
(RSVP is £12 on the door, on the night)

Do police patrols reduce crime? Do welfare programs help the poor? Do smaller classes aid learning? Do smartphones harm teenagers?
Today, more and more people around the globe are using scientific evidence to figure out what works - in health, government, and business, as well as conservation, schools, and parenting. This wasn’t always the case.
For many years, most medical advice was based on doctors’ opinions and conventional wisdom, not solid science. Evidence-based medicine swept the world in the 1990s, becoming the predominant form of medicine practiced today, and the idea that evidence can guide decisions is quietly transforming a host of other fields as well.
Join Helen Pearson as she discusses her new book, Beyond Belief, and underscores the importance of evidence in all facets of our lives, especially in a time when science is under attack and questionable claims run rampant .

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Helen Pearson has been a journalist and editor for Nature, the world’s leading science journal, for over 20 years, including five years leading the team as Chief Magazine Editor. She is also an Honorary Professor of Practice at University College London. Her first book, The Life Project, was named best science book of the year by The Observer, and book of the year for The Economist.

CHAIR BIOGRAPHY
Adrian Ely is Professor of Technology & Sustainability and Director of Policy Training & Executive Education at SPRU (the Science Policy Research Unit), in the University of Sussex Business School. He is interested in how societies respond to different kinds of uncertainty, and much of his research focuses on the regulation and governance of emerging (bio)technologies.

This event will take place upstairs in The Nightingale Room at The Grand Central Pub, Brighton. Unfortunately there is no wheelchair access available at this venue.

• DOORS OPEN : 19:00
• TALK STARTS : 19:30
• AUDIENCE Q&A : 20:30
• BOOK SIGNING: 21:00