The deadline for the Organizational Impact of Online Games Mini-track at the Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences is in less than a month. This mini-track will provide a forum for researchers to discuss the design, use and impact of online games in various contexts. We are specifically interested in research on the information systems concepts of online games (e.g. a study that identifies the information system designs of successful ”free-to-play” online games). The general purpose of this mini track is to focus on research that investigates the use of information system concepts, theories, methods, tools and practices in online digital games.
Monthly Archives: May 2014
CfP: Creative Showcase @ ACE2014
ACE – the leading scientific forum for dissemination of cutting-edge research and innovation in the area of entertainment computing is inviting the submission of creative showcases to its 11th conference to be held in Funchal, Madeira, 11-14 November, 2014.
2014 Game History Annual Symposium Open for Registration
The 2014 edition of the symposium features panels on the many communities and social practices that define the history of video games: the role of engineers, game designers and store owners, the retro gaming phenomenon, user generated content, marginal themes and the place of minorities, etc. It is our pleasure to welcome four distinguished keynote speakers at the symposium: Tristan Donovan (journalist, author of Replay), Mia Consalvo (Canada research chair in game studies, author of Cheating), Philippe Ulrich (founder of Cryo) et John Szczepaniak (journalist, hardcoregaming101).
Job: Assistant Professor in Media Studies (tenure track) – Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
The candidate will teach in the Media track of the bachelor MKDA (Dutch) and in the MA Comparative Arts and Media Studies (English). However, he/she should also be open to teaching courses of interest to students in visual arts and/or design. The candidate is furthermore expected to participate in the educational program of the Graduate School of Humanities of the faculty. He/she is also expected to perform tasks connected with the organisation, administration, and control of the education program. Research should be performed independently and in (interdisciplinary) groups. The candidate should also actively participate in applying for external research funds.
CfP: CHI PLAY 2014 Doctoral Consortium
The ACM SIGCHI Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play (CHI
PLAY) is a new international and interdisciplinary conference series
(sponsored by ACM SIGCHI) for researchers and professionals across all
areas of play, games and human-computer interaction (HCI); we call this
“player-computer interaction”.
Book: Virtual Economies: Design and Analysis by V. Lehdonvirta and E. Castronova now available
The book’s subject matter is game economies, point systems, virtual item trade, virtual currencies and knowing what’s the best crypto to buy now, the trade of likes and followers, and similar economies emerging around artificially scarce digital assets. The book has two audiences: design practitioners and scholars. To practitioners, the book aims to show how elementary economic models, applied correctly and with due regard to their limitations, are an important addition to today’s designers’ toolbox.
CfP: Star Trek Videogames (for edited collection)
An edited collection on the transmedia Star Trek franchise is seeking a chapter on Star Trek video games, 3,750 to 6,750 words with a deadline of early August 2014. Anyone interested should send inquiries to Doug Brode (dougbrode@msn.com).
CfP: Games and society: From social interaction to social change (pre-conference to ECC2014)
The awareness of digital games has evolved rapidly in recent years, recognizing an activity earlier considered a practice for narrow and specialized audiences to be mainstream media entertainment for the masses. Since the mid nineties researchers have engaged in studying games as platforms for social interaction and as unique channels for exploration, experimentation and entertainment – however, much scientific and publication attention has been paid to the risks of digital games. As games are now obviously not a passing fad but an established cultural form, it is time for media scholars to engage with them as more than potential risks, and let the lively interaction of gamers and even deliberative aspects of digital games come much more into focus. One has to ask: If games are meaningful and supposed to have some impact on users and their daily life, couldn’t they even be used for positive outcomes, and social change?
CfP: Assessing Educational Game Effectiveness Panel @ IEEE GEM Conference
Educators, game designers and marketers make all kinds of claims about a variety of behavior modifications and learning outcomes achievable through play. This panel, held as part of IEEE GEM 2014, invites researchers and developers to discuss different strategies for setting parameters, measuring progress and success and documenting failures. Join us and share what you have learned in your process.
CfP: Embarrassing Interactions: Unpacking the Relations of Games, Play, and Embarrassment (workshop @ DiGRA2014)
How does embarrassment facilitate or impede gameplay enjoyment? When is play embarrassing? Does the “magic circle” of play shield us from embarrassment, and if so, how and when – and what are its limits? Why do gamer culture and certain game genres (still) carry embarrassment-inducing stigma? What can studying games and play tell us about embarrassment writ large? And how might designers take embarrassment into account to make more enjoyable games – or facilitate reflection and change? This full-day workshop, held as part of DiGRA 2014, invites 15–20 researchers and designers to explore the linkages of embarrassment, play, and games through a mixture of gameplay and analysis, structured discussion, and breakout groups.