CALL FOR PAPERS
Teaching Games:Pedagogical Approaches DiGRA 2019 Pre-Conference Workshop (TGPA:DiGRA2019)

Context of Teaching Games
Game studies, art, design, narrative, development, and game research method courses are proliferating across colleges and universities. Some classes are organized into formal game design programs while others are not. They can be offered in a wide range of departments and disciplines, including media studies, communications, computer science, sociology, English, education, political science, art, and many others. The primary goal of such courses is varied: to teach game design skills, game writing, production, development, critical analysis skills, as well as the history and context of digital games. This workshop is for instructors in higher education of all such courses to discuss their approaches, troubleshoot issues, as well as identify best practices for the course and assignment design.

The workshop is co-located and organized with the 2019 DiGRA 2019 conference in Kyoto, Japan, and will take place on August 6th, 2019. It builds on successful past versions of the workshop run at both DiGRA and FDG in 2014 and 2015, as well as on a later workshop on transgressive teaching strategies in game studies at NDigra in 2018 and HEVGA Game Educators’ Summits and symposia held in 2017 and 2018. The aim of this iteration is threefold: to broaden the scope of teaching about games more generally, to build a community around pedagogy and to generate scholarship that will result in a peer-reviewed publication.

Objectives and Outcomes
The aim of the workshop is to benefit pedagogy about games by discussing current issues and potential future directions in games teaching as well as to provide a forum for sharing and critiquing pedagogical practices. The latter will be especially valuable for scholars who are among the only faculty at their institution teaching games.
The workshop will be conducted in two parts: The morning session will be dedicated to paper presentations and discussions. The post-lunch session will be organized as work sessions, where groups discuss particular topics (self-organized by interests).

*** Topics ***
The workshop invites papers about teaching games in higher education. The following list suggests topics, but other topics relevant to pedagogical approaches in teaching games are welcome.
● Pedagogical methods to teaching games
● Integrating games into a pre-existing curriculum
● Case studies—teaching specific topics or areas
● Bridging theory and practice through the curriculum
● Creating new teaching resources and tools
● Teaching students to study players
● Teaching game research methods
● Industry partnerships
● Working with diverse groups of students and multi-disciplinary faculty
● Logistical challenges of teaching games (access to games, preservation, and fair use)

*** Submission guidelines ***
We will accept submissions for short papers between 1000 and 3000 words in length (excluding references). Submissions will be subject to double-blind peer review. Each submission will receive feedback from at least two reviewers. Authors of accepted submissions will be invited to give an oral presentation of their submission. Submissions must use the provided MS Word template or the LaTeX template for the workshop (both templates are available at hevga.org/digracfp – in case the page is down, see links below).

All submissions should be in the PDF format and be submitted through EasyChair. Accepted papers will be made available online at the workshop webpage.

A special issue of the ToDiGRA Journal (published by ETC Press at Carnegie Mellon) is a planned outcome of the workshop. Selected workshop papers will be invited to submit a journal article version for inclusion in a special issue of the ToDiGRA Journal. Publication in the special issue will require passing a second round of peer reviews.

*** Workshop Deadlines ***
Deadline for paper submissions: May 31, 2019
Notification of acceptance: June 28, 2019
Final drafts of papers due: July 19, 2019
Workshop: August 6, 2019
Revised papers submitted to journal for publication: October 1, 2019

*** Webpages ***
Workshop webpage: hevga.org/digracfp
Submissions page: easychair.org/conferences/?conf=tgpa19
Template .docx: interactivenarrativedesign.org/digrawstemplate.docx
Template LaTeX: www.overleaf.com/latex/templates/tgap-workshop-digra-template-2019/prjhkzzstyym

*** Workshop Location and Time ***
Location: Room Zonshin 206, Ritsumeikan University Kinugasa Campus, Kyoto, Japan
Date and Time: August 6, 2019, 9:00-15:50 with a lunch break 12:00-13:00

ICIDS is the premier conference for researchers and practitioners concerned with studying digital interactive forms of narrative from a variety of perspectives, including theoretical, technological, and applied design lenses. The annual conference is an interdisciplinary gathering that combines technology-focused approaches with humanities-inspired theoretical inquiry, empirical research and artistic expression.

With this 12th edition of the conference, ICIDS continues into its second decade. The field of interactive narrative has now coalesced into a recognizable entity. This year’s organizers take this edition as an opportunity to expand on previously identified topics, related to this year’s special theme:

Design Foundations, Innovations, and Practices

This year’s conference features a special theme of “Design Foundations, Innovations, and Practices.” In addition to topics covered by previous iterations of ICIDS, the conference program will feature topic areas that focus on principles of design, advancements in the design lifecycle, and design process case studies for interactive storytelling.

This theme broadens prior topic areas within which they expand our design understanding.

• They target principles of design through:

  • Human Factors via work on understanding cognitive and affective aspects of interactive storytelling, and

  • Theoretical Foundations via work on the design of storyworlds writ large.

• They target advancements in the design lifecycle through:

  • Technology via work on the role of digital game technologies in interactive storytelling, and

  • Cultural and Societal Impact via work on the ethical, moral, social, and policy issues surrounding the design of interactive storytelling artifacts, including (but not limited to) issues surrounding representation, purposive interactive stories and games, and procedural rhetoric.

• They target design process case studies through:

  • Interactive Digital Narrative Practices and Applications via work on industry production practices, live-action role-playing systems, and the use of interactive storytelling for learning and as tools for teaching.

Submissions are therefore invited on the following topics, which are understood as broad and inclusive of additional topics not mentioned here explicitly.

CREATING THE DISCIPLINE: INTERACTIVE DIGITAL NARRATIVE STUDIES

• Papers related to the topic of Interactive Digital Narrative Studies as a distinct discipline.

• Cross-cutting analyses of interactive digital narrative forms that examine and possibly compare different traditions, e.g. hyperfiction and VR, IF and game narrative etc. Analysis can be of technology, design, works, education, etc.

• Demonstration of different lenses or methods applied in analysis and/or design of interactive digital narrative works, such as performance studies, media anthropology, literary studies, etc.

• Ideas how to move the field of Interactive Digital Narrative Studies forward.

IMPACTING CULTURE AND SOCIETY

• Papers concerning the societal impact of interactive digital storytelling.

• The lack of high-quality criticism of interactive narrative works (compared to that available for print literature and movies) and this shortcoming’s effect on the medium as well as its public perception, including possible solutions.

• The influence of interactive digital narrative on contemporary culture, as well as possible future developments.

• The influence of contemporary culture on interactive digital narrative.

• The nature and role of interactive digital narrative literacy and how such literacy can be created.

• Ethical, moral, social, and policy issues surrounding the design of interactive storytelling artifacts. (New!)

• Representation in interactive storytelling. (New!)

• Procedural rhetoric. (New!)

• Purposive interactive stories and games. (New!)

INTERACTIVE DIGITAL NARRATIVE PRACTICES AND APPLICATIONS

• Discussion of interactive digital narratives, either from the perspective of design practice and methods, analysis of applications or case studies, and/or reception and use of applications.

• Explorations of how game technologies and techniques overlap and impact the field of interactive digital narrative, and how interactive narratives in turn influence games.

• Explorations of how theatrical and performative practices inform interactive digital narratives, and what theatre or performance work can learn from interactive digital narratives.

• Example areas of practice include interactive cinema and television, interactive documentaries, educational and health-related applications, interactive installations, performative uses and interactive digital narratives in museums

• Industry production practices.  (New!)

• Live-action role-playing systems and their relation to interactive storytelling. (New!)

• Interactive storytelling for learning and as tools for teaching. (New!)

INVESTIGATING OUR HISTORY

• Papers providing historical analysis and perspectives.

• Approaches towards a combined, critical history of the field, including suitable methods for working towards such a history.

• Issues related to archiving and/or preserving interactive digital narrative works.

• Critical thinking around the canon, e.g., whether current methods are suitable for expanding it, whether we are aware of gaps or erasures, particularly those related to designers who hold marginalized identities.

THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS

• Papers discussing the role of the author/designer in interactive digital narratives.

• Approaches towards models for interactive digital narratives inspired by cognitive science, narratology, performance studies and theatre, and related disciplines.

• Theories and aesthetics of interactive digital narratives.

• Storyworlds (New!)

TECHNOLOGIES

• Papers on Artificial Intelligence techniques for interactive or procedural and adaptive storytelling, e.g., drama management and virtual characters.

• Procedural generation of narrative elements, e.g., plot, stories, narrative discourses, characters, storyworlds, story-based puzzles, etc.

• Narrative knowledge representation, reasoning and acquisition.

• Authoring tools.

• Interactive cinema and iTV technologies.

• Novel interfaces and feedback technology.

• User modeling approaches.

• Augmented and Mixed Reality storytelling systems.

• Big data and interactive digital storytelling.

• Interactive storytelling and digital game technologies (e.g. game engines) (New!)

HUMAN FACTORS

• Methods for testing the user experience or story development.

• Normative evaluation of interactive digital storytelling applications.

• Discussions of narrative-related affect and emotion.

• Discussions of narrative presence and engagement in virtual environments.

• Cognitive and affective aspects of interactive storytelling. (New!)

SUBMISSIONS

• The peer review process for ICIDS will be double blind and follow the guidelines set out by the ICIDS Steering Committee: icids.org/ICIDS-REVIEW_GUIDELINES.pdf

• All submissions must follow the Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS) format, available at: www.springer.com/computer/lncs?SGWID=0-164-6-793341-0

• Papers must be written in English, and only electronic submissions in PDF format will be considered for review. All submissions will be processed using the Easychair Online Conference System. Authors are advised to register a new account well in advance of the paper submission deadline: easychair.org/conferences/?conf=icids2019

SUBMISSION CATEGORIES

• Full papers (9-12 pages, excluding references, in the proceedings) describing interesting, novel results or completed work in all topics of this call.

• Short papers (6-8 pages, excluding references, in the proceedings) presenting exciting preliminary work or novel, thought-provoking ideas in their early stages.

• Posters (2-4 pages, excluding references, in the proceedings) describing working, presentable systems or brief explanations of a research project.

• There will be an additional call for Demonstrations and Workshop Proposals at a later date as well as a call for the Doctoral Consortium

• A separate call for artworks for the ICIDS 2019 Art Exhibition will also be announced at a later stage.

IMPORTANT DATES

• All deadlines are specified as Anywhere on Earth time unless otherwise noted.

• Paper & Poster submission: July 12th, 2019

• Initial Notification: August 23rd, 2019

• Author Rebuttals: August 30th, 2019

• Final notifications: September 6th, 2019

• Camera-ready submission: September 13th, 2019

Games, Media and Communication: Quo Vadis?

Call for presentations and panel proposals for the ECREA Digital Games Research Section symposium in collaboration with the Gaming Matters Research Cluster of the Erasmus Research Centre for Media, Communication and Culture (ERMeCC)

7-8.11.2019, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands

The 2010s is almost over, and game studies is preparing to enter another decade. The current decade has seen discussions on ludification and e-sports as well as the true breakthrough of terms such as gamification, signifying the pervasive and ubiquitous nature of games and play in contemporary societies. This symposium hosted by the ECREA Digital Games Research Section aims to look at where we have been and where we are going as a field – what could be the next steps? Where could we go from here, and what is going to happen to game studies in the 2020s? How does the multi-disciplinary field of game studies relate to the similarly multi-disciplinary field of communication studies? What kind of innovations are waiting around the corner when it comes to novel research methods or theorizing? What kind of phenomena are only beginning to receive attention, where are the remaining gaps in research?

They are inviting presentations and panels, which may deal with any aspect of game studies or the intersection of game studies with the broader field of communication sciences. They especially encourage proposals that deal with innovations in research methods, empirical research, theory development, interdisciplinary collaboration, and other ways of renewing or re-inventing game studies. They are also open to discussing work-in-progress research projects.

Possible topics include, but are not restricted to, the ones listed here:

• Theoretical approaches and methodological advances in digital games research
• The production, content, audiences and regulation of digital games
• Digital game culture and gaming communities
• Social interaction in and around digital games
• Social and psychological aspects of digital gaming
• Digital games in the field of education
• Communication in and about digital games
• Playful interaction in its various forms
• Avatars, identification, and self-representation in virtual worlds
• Digital game experience, gamer motivations, enjoyment and presence research
• Digital games in comparison with other forms of media entertainment
• Innovations in gaming, such as the use of virtual reality, augmented reality, and location-based gaming

Submission guidelines
Abstracts should be max. 500 words + bibliography, and include the contact information of the author(s).
Panel proposals should include 1) a 300-word rationale for the panel, 2) a 150-word abstract describing each participant’s contribution, and 3) contact information for each panelist. Each panelist must be willing to register for and attend the symposium if the panel is accepted.
Abstracts and panel proposals should be submitted by April 30th 2019 through EasyChair. https://easychair.org/cfp/gameco2019

Decisions on the proposals will be made by the end of May 2019. There are plans to produce a publication, either a journal theme issues or an edited volume, based on selected seminar presentations.

Venue
The conference will be held at the Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands thanks to the support of the Gaming Matters Research Cluster of the Erasmus Research Centre for Media, Communication and Culture (ERMeCC)

• the authors’ background;
• a description of your interest in the topic;
• how you envision using larps in design (e.g. to better understand users, to test or iterate a particular design, or to come up with innovative design ideas); and
• in the case you would like to bring a design prototype to further iterate and/or test with your peers during the workshop (see Test-bed Micro-larp Session here: https://interaction.mere.st/index.php/schedule/), a description of the prototype.

Working Paper seminar for Game Jam Research(ers)
Aalto University, Espoo, Finland
11.-12. June 2019

During the past decade game jams have become an important part of game industry ecosystems. As thousands of games are created in a wide variety of jams annually, these game creation events have become increasingly important sites for various game makers. Game jams are fostering diverse local scenes and cultures, are part of commercial game development, provide an outlet for divergent thinking in games, and create spaces for collaborative game art. The phenomenon of “jamming” is connected to a wider trend of maker cultures and learning-by-doing and are thus a multifaceted educational tool. Furthermore, game jams have also been used as a platform for research. Yet as a phenomenon of its own game jams remain woefully understudied.

Jamology 2019 is a working paper seminar for game jam researchers. We are driven to facilitate collaboration on game jam research and encourage junior and seasoned game scholars alike to contribute to the growing body of knowledge on game jams. Additionally our aim is to facilitate discussion among the researchers, students, jammers and jamtivists interested in all issues related to game jams, their use, and the cultures around them.

Jamology 2019 is organized by Aalto University, Tampere University, and the Growing Mind research project. The seminar emphasises work-in-progress submissions, and we strongly encourage submitting late breaking results, working papers, as well as submissions from graduate and PhD students. The purpose of the seminar is to have peer-to-peer discussions and thereby provide support in refining and improving research work in this area. The format of the seminar follows the legendary Spring Seminar format of University of Tampere Game Research Lab. The papers to be presented will be chosen based on extended abstract review and full papers are distributed prior the event to all participants to facilitate discussion. Jamology is organized in collaboration with Jam Jam Festival and the Center of Excellence in Game Culture Studies.

They invite abstract submissions on various topics, including, but not limited to:

• Game jams and creativity
• Game jams and learning
• Game jam communities
• The impact of game jams
• Analysis of jam games
• Game Jam theory
• Studies on the organizers of game jams
• Online game jams and physical game jams
• Ethnocultural issues and game jams
• Gender and queer studies & game jams
• Different jam methods
• Reports and reflections on jams
• Game jam ideas and concepts for new game jams
• Other events related to game jams (hackathons, game development workshops and competitions, streamed game development, etc.)

The seminar will be chaired by Dr. Annakaisa Kultima, and there will be invited expert commentators. The seminar will be held at Aalto University, Espoo, Finland. Participation to the seminar is free of charge, but the seats are limited. Registration will be opened in April 2, 2019.

Submission guidelines

The papers will be selected for presentation based on extended abstracts of 500-1000 words (plus references). Abstracts should be delivered in PDF format. Please use 12 pt Times New Roman for your text. Full paper guidelines will be provided with the notification of acceptance. Our aim is that all participants can familiarise themselves with the papers in advance. Therefore, the maximum length for a full paper is 5000 words (plus references). The seminar presentations should encourage discussion, instead of repeating the information presented in the papers. Every paper will be presented for 10 minutes and discussed for 20 minutes.

Submissions should be sent to: jamologyseminar@gmail.com

Important dates:

• Abstract deadline: April 11, 2019
• Notification of acceptance: April 18, 2019
• Full Paper deadline: May 21, 2019
• Seminar days: June 11-12, 2019

* Material Manifestations of Dislocation and (Re)connection*
in conjunction with ECSCW 2019 https://ecscw.eusset.eu/2019/
Sunday, June 9, 2019
Salzburg, Austria

Workshop Website: https://hci.sbg.ac.at/sites/material-dislocation/

IMPORTANT DATES

• Submission of position paper: April 8
• Notifications to authors: May 2
• Early bird registration: May 13
• Workshop at ECSCW: Sunday, June 9
• ECSCW main conference: June 10 – 12

SCOPE AND AIMS

This workshop focuses on the material qualities of dislocation. The process of humans becoming separated from each other is likely to have diverse consequences; from shifting frequency, modes, or routines of communication and collaboration, to completely alternate means of connection. In this workshop, we aim to discuss a broad range of material manifestations and implications of (researching and designing for) dislocation. While engaging with material qualities of dislocation, we will reflect on the state of the art, discuss research gaps and potentials, and explore hands-on how design can create opportunities for (re)connection in response to dislocation through the creation of tangible interfaces.

The aim of this one-day workshop is to explore how new forms of connections uniquely emerge in situations of dislocation, and what digital and physical materials and materialities are appropriate when designing for such situations. We therefore focus on how to design for (re)connecting in response to dislocation.

The key questions that guide the workshop are as follows:

• Which physical / socio-cultural / material practices do exist, whether technologically mediated or not, to reconnect in case of dislocation?
• Which materials or which interactive qualities are promising to be used for reconnecting?
• How can material qualities account for the (often invisible) networked digital apparatus surrounding dislocated interactions?
• How can we study the way material qualities in dislocation are actively adopted in everyday practices and how people give meaning to them?

PARTICIPATION

In order to express interest in participation, interested researchers are asked to provide a position paper (ECSCW 2019 EP template via RTF, MS Word or LaTeX) that covers:

1. an essayistic, empirical, theoretical, material, or designerly discussion of dislocation (3 page max.)
2. the proposal of a material or artefact for exploration that the participants commit to bring to the workshop (1/2 page max.)
3. Personal bio (1/2 page max.)

The position paper shall be sent via email to alina.krischkowsky@sbg.ac.at

For any inquiries please contact alina.krischkowsky@sbg.ac.at

Call for Papers – British DiGRA 2019
The third annual conference of British DiGRA.
6 -7 June 2019
Staffordshire University, Stoke on Trent

The Diverging Game Mix.

They welcome submissions that move beyond digital gaming, for example submissions relating to boardgames, LARP, pervasive games or other forms of analog gaming.
As with last year, we actively encourage early scholars and PhD candidates, and wish to programme our conference to provide a welcoming environment for newer voices as well as those more established.

Once again, the theme playfully engages with that of DiGRA 2019, aiming to present a counter perspective to the work being discussed there. We may even get some sets of giant Ludo in!

Submissions should consider, but not be restricted to, the following topics in this light:

• Revisiting Games as Inter/Multidisciplinary subject
• Gaming as Media
• Representation in Games
• Licensed and Franchised Games
• Playfulness and the Medium of Games
• Design as practice
• Pedagogy and gaming
• Game design/development/theory
• Casual Games
• Changes in gaming culture
• Spectatorship and play
• Esports theory
• Underrepresented Games and Audiences
• Close readings and ‘well played’ games.

We welcome the following submission types:
Full papers, of 5000 – 7000 words, to be presented as papers in a panel session.

A template for full papers is available here: https://www.overleaf.com/latex/templates/digra-template-2018/fdtmqscfgzpc

(with thanks to Mirjam Palosaari Eladhari, Adam Summerville and Mark Nelson for this resource)

Abstracts of 500 words, to be presented in a series of quickfire round table sessions.

Please follow the relevant areas of the template, including Abstract, Keywords and References.

Workshops to last approx half a day – to be submitted as precis of approx 500 – 1000 words underlining core objectives and aims.

Discussion panels – to be submitted as precis of approx 500 – 1000 words underlining core objectives and aims.

Paper Paramedic and Mentorship. Following on from the very successful sessions last year, they will be offering a paper paramedic session to contributors whose work we believe is not quite ready for submission. They encourage everyone to submit work, irrespective of academic level.

They are looking for reviewers! Contact us before we contact you!

Please submit work to  BritishDigra@gmail.com by 22nd April 2019. Papers and abstracts should be anonymised, but please make sure you identify yourself in the e-mail so that they can respond when the paper has been reviewed.
Notification of acceptance of papers 10th May 2019

More details – http://bdigra.org.uk/british-digra-events/2019-bdigra-staffordshire-university-stoke-on-trent