Call for Papers: Physical and Digital in Games and Play seminar
May 29-31, 2013, University of Tampere, FINLAND
Digital games have had a visible role on the contemporary rise of game cultures and game studies, but there are still under-explored research areas in the relation of digital games to other forms of games and play, including e.g. traditional card and board games, play with physical toys, paper-based puzzles, and physical sport games. The research carried out in such areas holds potential for both interesting comparative work in theoretical and empirical game studies, as well as for serving inspiration for experimental design research into hybrid, digital-analogue or augmented game designs.
‘Physical and Digital in Games and Play’ seminar invites presentations from multiple topics related to the unique characteristics of physical play or digital play, as well as to the interplay of these two. The aim of the seminar is to bring together scholars of games and play from diverse fields and to stimulate dialogue between them.
Possible topics include, but are not limited to:
- Theoretical analyses of hybrid games, hybrid toys and hybridity in games
- Case-studies of hybrid play products
- Hybrid experiences in physical and digital play
- Toy design and designer toys
- Board game and table top game design
- Sports and exergames
- Game franchising and IP
- Collectibles cultures
- Cosplay
- Augmented reality games
- Live action role-playing
- History of toys
- Avatar/Body/Doll
- Digital copy vs. physical copy
- Game industry vs. toy industry
- Folk games, folk toys and player created hybridity
- 3D Printing and games
- Games and art, playgrounds and museums, toys and readymade
- Physical and digital in gambling
The seminar is the ninth in the annual series of game studies working paper seminars organised by Game Research Lab at University of Tampere. Due to the work-in-progress emphasis, we strongly encourage submitting late breaking results, working papers and/or submissions from graduate students. Early considerations from projects currently in progress are most welcome, as 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. Tentative plans have been made on a publication of selected papers.
The papers to be presented will be chosen based on extended abstract review. Full papers are distributed prior the event to all participants, in order to facilitate discussion.
The two-day event consists of themed sessions that aim to introduce current research projects and discuss ongoing work in studies of games industry, innovation and design processes. The seminar will be chaired by Professor Frans Mäyrä (School of Information Sciences, University of Tampere). There will be invited paper commentators who will be announced later.
The seminar will be held in Tampere, Finland and will be free of charge; the number of participants will be restricted.
Important Dates
- Abstract Deadline: February 25, 2013
- Notification of Acceptance: March 11, 2013
- Full Paper deadline: April 22, 2013
- Seminar dates: May 29-31, 2013
Submission Guidelines
The extended abstract submissions should be between 500-1000 words (excluding references). Abstracts should be sent to <physicaldigitalseminar {at} gmail.com> as plain text only (no attachments). Guidelines for submitting a full seminar paper will be provided with the notification of acceptance.
Our aim is that everyone participating has been able to read materials submitted to the seminar. Therefore, the maximum length for a full paper is set to 6000 words (excluding references). Note also that the presentations held at the seminar should encourage discussion, instead of only repeating the information presented in the papers. Tentatively, every paper will be presented for 10 minutes and discussed for 20 minutes.
Seminar web site: http://physicaldigitalseminar.wordpress.com/
Event page at Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/397317950347657/
Organised by: http://gamelab.uta.fi
University of Tampere / SIS, TRIM / Game Research Lab