Author Archives: William Huber

Call for papers: DiGRA 2023 International Conference

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DiGRA 2023 will take place in Sevilla, Spain, 19th-23rd June 2023. A pre-conference will be held one day prior to the official beginning of the conference, on Monday 19, with a PhD Consortium and Workshops.

The theme of the conference will be Limits and Margins of Games, exploring games as interstitial spaces between disparate realities.

The negotiation of limits and margins is a fundamental component of play which has been discussed regularly, from foundational approaches of the study of games and play to more contemporary ones. DiGRA 2023 aims to continue expanding this discussion with debates that take into account recent developments in society, technology, and gaming industries, such as underground and countercultural game-making, the consolidation of VR as a gaming platform, the decentralisation of player communities, the interlacing between games and politics, and the changes in digital culture caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, to name a few. These events challenge the traditional theoretical framework of game studies as a discipline and call for new conversations.

Margins and limits are, by their very own nature, nebulous and hard to define. They accommodate conflicts for the social imaginary where matters of culture, race, gender, and social class are articulated. These spaces can be material or symbolic, from conceptions of the Global South, citizenship, and censorship to ideas about community, belonging, and representation.

By limits we understand the moving zone in which the materiality of play and games is manifested. This includes, but is not limited to, the ontology of games, the aesthetics of games and play, games as media, game genres, virtual reality experiences, and games and new social realities.

By margins we understand the emergent practices in light of a changing environment under continuous transformation. This includes, but is not limited to, queer practices in games, playing with sexuality, the hegemony of play, game developments in the periphery, identity/identification through play, games as texts, and flaneurism, contemplation, and archaeogaming.

We would like to encourage scholarly reflection on all those diverse ways in which games act as spaces of possibility between disparate realities. Possible themes can include:

  • ontological approaches to games;
  • the aesthetics of gaming & playing;
  • games of the future: avant-garde and digital games;
  • games as media/media as games;
  • genres and generations: the limits of the experience;
  • virtual reality experiences;
  • games and new social realities;
  • queerness in games;
  • playing with sexuality;
  • the hegemony of play;
  • game developments in the periphery;
  • identity/identification through play;
  • games and politics;
  • games as texts: playing with literature;
  • local/regional histories and game studies;
  • flaneurism, contemplation, and archaeogaming.

With the theme of Limits and Margins of Games, DiGRA 2023 makes space for an interdisciplinary critical debate around a plethora of interconnected topics, inviting a diversity of voices and perspectives. As games continue to grow and playful practices continue to shape both dominant and resisting forces in society, game studies must keep looking at the margins and limits not only of its objects of study, but of itself as a discipline. This creates potentials for interdisciplinary exchange, methodical variety, and multifaceted critique. DiGRA 2023 welcomes contributions on different game formats, expressions, and phenomena both related to digital and non-digital games.

The submissions are invited into six tracks:

  1. Philosophy and Theory of Play & Games: theoretical frameworks and investigations of games and play phenomena as well as meta-reflection on game studies methods and practices.
  1. Game Analyses, Criticism, and Interpretation: analyses, close-readings, and critical discussions of game texts.
  1. Game History and Cultural Context: explorations of game histories, contemporary game cultures and regional game studies.
  1. Play and Players: empirical research on play and playful behaviour, players, fandom, and game communities.
  1. Game Design, Production, and Distribution: reflections on making and research creation, processes of production and design, and the games market.
  1. Serious Games and Education: research on games and play for learning, education, and therapy, and other applications beyond game studies.

There will be several special events associated with the conference, including a PhD Consortium. It will beorganised on the pre-conference day, and it will allow PhD students to discuss key issues, benefit from peer support, and seek feedback from experienced scholars. It will provide opportunities for further development of research skills that will be of help to emerging scholars in achieving their academic goals.

To submit your proposal, please apply directly through EasyChair: https://easychair.org/my/conference?conf=digra2023

The organisers also accept thematic workshop proposals (see submission guidelines below).

About DiGRA

DiGRA was established by an international group of scholars in Tampere, Finland, after the Computer Games and Digital Cultures conference that took place in 2002. Since then, it has continued to grow, including the establishment of many regional chapters in different parts of the world.

Important dates

  • Submission opens: 1 November 2022.
  • Full papers, abstracts, and panels submission deadline: 30 December 2022.
  • Workshop proposals submission deadline: 30 January 2023.
  • Announcement of review results and workshop acceptance: 28 February 2023.
  • Workshop submission deadline: 30 March 2023.
  • Early bird registration & program deadlines: 1 May 2023.
  • Camera-ready papers & abstracts deadline: 15 May 2023.
  • Conference dates: 19-23 June 2023.

To submit your proposal, please apply directly through EasyChair: https://easychair.org/my/conference?conf=digra2023

Proposals other than workshop proposals sent to the DiGRA email address will not be considered.

We are looking forward to welcoming the game studies community to Sevilla in June 2023!

Submission Guidelines

We welcome a range of contributions to DiGRA 2023: full papers, extended abstracts, panel and doctoral consortium participation, and workshop proposals.

Full papers and extended abstracts will be peer-reviewed, published on the conference website, and published in the conference proceedings available via open-access through the DiGRA Digital Library: http://www.digra.org/digital-library. Panel proposals will be peer-reviewed and published on the conference website but will not be included in the conference proceedings published through the DiGRA Digital Library. Workshop proposals will be selected by the conference organisers based on non-anonymous submissions.

All except workshop submissions should be made via EasyChair. Workshop proposals should be sent directly to the conference email: heylisten@digra2023.org.

Authors are asked to direct questions to the program chairs: Marcelo Simão de Vasconcellos (marcelodevasconcellos@gmail.com), Tanja Sihvonen (tanja.sihvonen@uwasa.fi), and Víctor Navarro-Remesal (vnavarro@tecnocampus.cat).

Full Paper

Full papers are expected to be 5000-7000 words plus references, submitted as an anonymized PDF on DiGRA 2023 Submission Template. Submissions must be original, which means that they have not been published or are not under peer review elsewhere.

Full papers are peer-reviewed publications of original game studies research, presenting mature, complete research. Authors must present accepted full papers at the DiGRA conference. Accepted manuscripts will appear in the Proceedings of the 2023 DiGRA International Conference, which is published in the open access DiGRA Digital Library.

Extended Abstract

The suggested length for an extended abstract is 500-800 words, with a maximum of 1000 words, excluding references (only key references should be included), submitted as an anonymised PDF using the DiGRA 2023 Submission Template. Give a short description in the abstract field of the conference management system, but there is no need for extended abstracts to contain an abstract.

The purpose of an extended abstract is to demonstrate a contribution interesting to DiGRA audiences. An extended abstract might describe a study or research program that is underway but might also describe a pending program of research. It might outline findings, or it might establish and discuss a research question. It might describe the study’s method or methodology, or it might focus on outcomes and results. It might describe work that is planned, work that is in progress, or work that has been completed.

Accepted extended abstracts will appear in open access DiGRA Digital Library.

PhD Consortium Submission

Selection for the PhD consortium will be based on an extended abstract based on an ongoing PhD research project, with a maximum of 1000 words, excluding references (see Extended Abstract guidelines, above). They should be submitted to PhD Consortium track, as NON-anonymised PDF, with a short description in the abstract field of the conference management system (there is no need for a doctoral consortium application to have an abstract).

Submissions must use the DiGRA 2023 Submission Template.

Panel

A panel session will typically occupy a single conference session and have a duration of 80 to 90 minutes. Panel proposals should have a maximum length of 1000 words, excluding references, plus a 100-word biography of each participant. They should include: the focus or topic of the panel, a description of why the topic will be of interest or relevant to DiGRA attendees, a list of confirmed participants, and a description of their background and expertise.

Panel proposals will be peer-reviewed.Panels should be submitted as PDFs on DiGRA 2023 Submission Template

Workshop

The conference workshops are three to six hours long sessions focused on a particular game-related topic. Workshops provide an opportunity for new ideas, theories, and trends to be presented and discussed. Workshops can also be practical tutorials.

Concise workshop proposals of no more than 1000 words (excluding bibliography) should include major objectives and expected outcomes of the workshop, the justification for the workshop informed by current trends and research, the format and activities planned for the workshop, the organisers’ background, the anticipated number of participants, and the way they will be selected.

Please note that the submission should NOT be anonymous as the organisers’ background is very important in the decision-making process for workshops.

Submit workshop proposals directly by email to heylisten@digra2023.org by 30 January 2023.

Number of submissions per author

Authors cannot submit more than two papers and/or extended abstracts to DiGRA 2023, including PhD Consortium submissions. An individual can be co-authors on as many full papers and extended abstracts as they like but cannot submit more than two as main author/presenter. If the limit is exceeded, only the two first submissions will be reviewed.The limit does not include participation in panels or workshops.

DiGRA 2023 Website

For more details about the conference, visit the website: https://digra2023.org/

DiGRA 2022 International Conference: July 7-11 in Krakow, Poland.

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Due to a range of unavoidable circumstances, including issues created by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico, the 2022 DiGRA International Conference will not able to be held in Guadalajara, Mexico this year. While this is deeply disappointing, it is not entirely surprising.

Fortunately we have been able to identify a new venue, and I can now share details for our new plans.

The event will be held on July 7 -11 in Krakow, Poland, hosted by Jagiellonian University. The conference website has been updated with information about registration fees, travel and accommodation options (and other topics) here: http://digra2022.org.

A poll of our membership indicates that, currently, about 60% of the respondents intend to travel and 40% plan on participating remotely. Fortunately, the hosting team at Jagiellonian University has experience managing hybrid events, and those unable to travel should will be able to present their work and participate in the conference.

Although submissions are closed, we understand that many who had papers accepted at the cancelled 2020 Tampere event did not resubmit their papers to be presented this year. If you had a paper accepted in 2020 and have not resubmitted it for presentation this year, resubmissions are now open. These papers do not go through additional peer review: you would automatically be given a place in a session to present your work. You would still need to pay appropriate registration fees: these papers have already been distributed in the proceedings for the previous conference, so they will not be added to this year’s proceedings, but the former remain available for download from the digital library.

Many of the workshops scheduled for Guadalajara have been rescheduled for Krakow, and more will be added soon. Workshop organizers have been contacted by the local organizing committee and should have updated information about submission deadlines.

We wish to personally thank Tomasz Majkowski and his team at Jagiellonian University for this remarkable feat, while also sharing our appreciation for all the work of the Guadalajara organizing committee so far: We will be hearing more DiGRA news from Mexico in the future and hope that we will be able to meet there someday soon. In the meantime, here’s looking forward to seeing each other in Krakow this summer.

Call for Papers: DiGRA 2022 International Conference

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DiGRA 2022: Bringing Worlds Together

Update: new submission deadline is October 31!

DiGRA 2022 will take place in Guadalajara, Mexico from April 25th – 29th 2022. A pre-conference will be held one day prior to the official beginning of the conference.

The theme of the upcoming DiGRA 2022 is Bringing Worlds Together, exploring games as spaces of speculative possibility, ambiguity and liminality.

Game studies have always considered games – especially digital ones – hybrid forms, able to combine various cultural phenomena to create liminoid spaces of uncertain ontology. The tradition to perceive games through interferences, uneasy alliances, disturbing dissonances or outright conflicts is rich. Diverse worlds, literally and metaphorically, collide at play: technological infrastructures, cultural practices, political, ethical, aesthetic and ontological dimensions. These can manifest in a variety of research focus points, including the way physical body of the player is merged with the electronic components of the machine and the digital space; the collision of the fictive narrative and real ruleset, governing the way fiction can unfold; the tension between global production regimes and vernacular resistance practices; or the circulation of camaraderie and oppression in player communities. But above all, games are always embedded within broader existing value systems. They can reflect those or challenge their status quo, paving new ways of becoming in the world.

The past months of the worldwide pandemic have also shown the capacity of games and play to literally bring remote worlds together, whether as practices of intimate socialization otherwise hindered by lock-downs and physical isolation, spaces of political resistance or products of increased consumption able to distract from long hours of boredom.

We would like to encourage scholarly reflection on all those diverse ways in which games bring different worlds together. Possible themes can include:

  • speculative approaches to games
  • entanglements between gaming and sociopolitical issues
  • global and local aspects of play
  • the realistic and the fantastic as aesthetic principles and design guidelines
  • the centre-periphery dynamics (e.g. “real games” and “notgames”, games and hegemonial powers, games as globalized products, games as means of artistic expression)
  • the game and the story
  • verisimilitude and realism
  • reality capture and customisation
  • games and money (e.g. monetisation and blockchain)
  • realities at play (e.g. augmented reality, virtual reality, alternate reality, LARPs)
  • questions of inclusion and representation
  • questions of sustainability and responsibility

With the theme of ““Bringing Worlds Together”, DiGRA 2022 makes space for an interdisciplinary critical debate around related questions, inviting a diversity of voices. As mainstream phenomena around games and play grow, so do approaches and tactics at the margin of games culture. This creates potentials for interdisciplinary exchange, methodical variety, and multifaceted critique. DiGRA 2022 welcomes contributions on different game formats, expressions, and phenomena both related to digital and non-digital games.

The submissions are invited into seven tracks:

  1. Philosophy and Theory of Play & Games: theoretical frameworks and investigations of games and play phenomena as well as meta-reflection on game studies methods and practices.
  2. Game Analyses, Criticism and Interpretation: analyses, close-readings, and critical discussions of game texts.
  3. Game History and Cultural Context: explorations of game histories, contemporary game cultures and regional game studies.
  4. Play and Players: empirical research on play and playful behaviour, players, fandom, and game communities.
  5. Game Design, Production and Distribution: reflections on making and research creation, processes of production and design, and the games market.
  6. Serious Games and Education: research on games and play for learning, education, and therapy, and other applications beyond game studies.
  7. DiGRA 2020 Accepted Submissions: extended abstracts and full papers scheduled to be presented during DiGRA 2020, the conference cancelled due to COVID-19 global outbreak. All submissions in this track will be accepted without additional reviews, provided they were already accepted in 2020, and the corresponding author paid DiGRA 2020 membership fee.

There will be several special events associated with the conference, including a PhD Consortium. It will be organized on the pre-conference conference day, this event will allow PhD students to discuss key issues and seek feedback from experienced scholars. It will provide opportunities for further development of research skills that will be of help to emerging scholars in achieving their academic goals.

More thematic workshops can be proposed to the organisers (see submission guidelines below).

Important dates:

  • Submission opens: 1 August 2021
  • Full papers, abstracts and panels submission deadline: 15 October 2021 Deadline extended to 31 October 2021
  • Workshop proposals submission deadline: November 15 2021
  • Announcement of review results and workshop acceptance: 15 December 2021
  • Workshop submissions deadline: 15 January 2022
  • Workshop submissions results: 15 February 2022
  • Early bird registration & program deadlines: 15 March 2022
  • Camera-ready papers & abstracts deadline: 30 March 2022
  • Conference dates: 25 – 29 April 2022

The submissions will be handled via the EasyChair system at: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=digra2022

More information will be updated into the conference website: http://digra2022.org

We are looking forward to welcoming game studies community to Guadalajara in April 2022!

Submission Guidelines

We welcome a range of contributions to DiGRA 2022: full papers, extended abstracts, panel and doctoral consortium participation, and workshop proposals.

Full papers and extended abstracts will be peer-reviewed, published on the conference website and published in the conference proceedings available via open-access through the DiGRA Digital Library: http://www.digra.org/digital-library. Panel proposals will be peer-reviewed and published on the conference website, but will not be included in the conference proceedings published through the DiGRA Digital Library. Workshop proposals will be selected by the conference organizers based on non-anonymous submissions.

All except workshop submissions should be made via EasyChair. Workshop proposals should be sent directly to the conference email.

Authors are asked to direct questions to the program chairs: Sonia Fizek (fizek.sonia@gmail.com), Marcelo Simão de Vasconcellos (marcelodevasconcellos@gmail.com) and Tomasz Z. Majkowski (tzmajkowski@gmail.com).

Full paper

Full papers are expected to be 5000 – 7000 words plus references, submitted as an anonymized pdf on DiGRA Submission Template. Submissions must be original, which means that they have not been published or are under peer review elsewhere.

Full papers are peer-reviewed publications of original game studies research, presenting mature, complete research. Authors must present accepted full papers at the DiGRA conference. Accepted manuscripts will appear in the Proceedings of the 2019 DiGRA International Conference, which is published in the open access DiGRA Digital Library.

Extended abstract

The suggested length for an extended abstract is 500-800 words, with a maximum of 1000 words, excluding references (only key references should be included), submitted as an anonymized pdf using the DiGRA Submission Template. Give a short description in the abstract field of the conference management system, but there is no need for extended abstracts to contain an abstract.

The purpose of an extended abstract is to demonstrate a contribution interesting to DiGRA audiences. An extended abstract might describe a study or research program that is underway, but might also describe a pending program of research. It might outline findings, or it might establish and discuss a research question. It might describe the study’s method or methodology, or it might focus on outcomes and results. It might describe work that is planned, work that is in progress, or work that has been completed.

Accepted extended abstracts will appear in open access DiGRA Digital Library.

PhD Consortium Submission

Selection for the PhD consortium will be based on an extended abstract based on an ongoing PhD research project, with a maximum of 1000 words, excluding references (see Extended Abstract guidelines, above). They should be submitted to PhD Consortium track, as NON-anonymized pdf, with a short description in the abstract field of the conference management system (there is no need for a doctoral consortium application to have an abstract).

Submissions must use the DiGRA 2022 submission template.

Panel

A panel session will typically occupy a single conference session and have a duration of 80 to 90 minutes. Panel proposals should have a maximum length of 1000 words, excluding references, plus a 100 word biography of each participant. They should include: the focus or topic of the panel; a description of why the topic will be of interest or relevant to DiGRA attendees; a list of confirmed participants and a description of their background and expertise. Panel proposals will be peer-reviewed.

Panels should be submitted as pdfs on DiGRA Submission Template (optional).

Workshop

The conference workshops are three to six hours long sessions focused on a particular game-related topic. Workshops provide an opportunity for new ideas, theories and trends to be presented and discussed. Workshops can also be practical tutorials.

Concise workshop proposals of no more than 1000 words (excluding bibliography) should include major objectives and expected outcomes of the workshop, the justification for the workshop informed by current trends and research, the format and activities planned for the workshop, the organizers’ background, the anticipated number of participants and the way they will be selected.

Please note that the submission  should not be anonymous as the organizers’ background is very important in the decision-making process for workshops.

Submit workshop proposals directly by email to info@digra2022.org by 15 November 2021.

Submissions accepted for DiGRA Tampere 2020

All Full papers and Extended Abstracts accepted to be presented during DiGRA 2020, are eligible for re-submission in track 7: Accepted for DiGRA 2020 Tampere (regardless of the original track for 2020). As they were already peer-reviewed, submit non-anonymized, camera-ready pdf using DiGRA Submission Template. Mark the original track they were accepted for in the submission form.

All submissions in this track will be checked regarding their eligibility (2020 review result, and the status of DiGRA membership fee for 2020) and moved directly to the DiGRA 2022 program, without additional reviews and other considerations.

Remember, all submissions in track 1-6 will be peer-reviewed regardless of their 2020 status. If you wish to undergo the review process once more, you are welcome to submit an anonymized version to one of those tracks.

Number of submissions per author

Authors cannot submit more than two papers and/or extended abstracts at DiGRA 2020, including PhD Consortium submissions. An individual can be co-authors on as many full papers and extended abstracts as they like, but cannot submit more than two as main author/presenter. If the limit is exceeded, only the two first submissions will be reviewed.

The limit does not include participation in panels or workshops. The limit does include submissions,from DiGRA 2020, though.

DiGRA 2022 Conference Website

For more details about the conference, visit the website: digra2022.org

Keywords in Play, Episode 2: Emilie Reed

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Keywords in Play” is a monthly interview series about game research supported by Critical Distance and the Digital Games Research Association. As a joint venture, “Keywords in Play” expands Critical Distance’s commitment to innovative writing and research about games while using a conversational style to bring new and diverse scholarship to a wider audience.

Our goal is to highlight the work of graduate students, early career researchers and scholars from under-represented groups, backgrounds and regions. The primary inspiration comes from sociologist and critic Raymond Williams. In the Preface to his book Keywords: a vocabulary of culture and society, Williams envisaged not a static dictionary but an interactive document, encouraging readers to populate blank pages with their own keywords, notes and amendments. “Keywords in Play” follows Williams in affirming that “The significance is in the selection”, and works towards diversifying the critical terms with which we describe games and game culture.

In this episode we speak to Emilie Reed. Emilie is a recent PhD graduate researching the history of displaying videogames in museums and other arts contexts. Her academic background includes art history, museum studies and creative writing. She is interested in creating exhibitions which highlight overlooked elements of the history and artistic practice behind videogames, and developing more experimental approaches to game criticism and she recommends https://guidedhacking.com when it comes to game hacking. https://emreed.net/

Emilie’s paper “Exhibition Strategies for Videogames in Art Institutions: Blank Arcade 2016″ is open access: http://todigra.org/index.php/todigra/article/view/91

Please consider supporting Critical Distance at https://www.patreon.com/critdistance

Production Team: Darshana Jayemanne, Zoyander Street, Emilie Reed.

Audio Direction and Engineering: Damian Stewart

Double Bass: Aaron Stewart