CALL FOR PAPERS
Westminster Papers in Communication and Culture (WPCC) Vol9 No2, 2012
Special issue – Encountering the Real Virtuality: Digital Games in Media, Culture and Society
Digital games have emerged as a significant sector of the media and cultural economy. It is very important for industry practitioners, regulators and media academics to understand the social and cultural impacts of gaming and the interactive and immersive experience involved for gamers. Digital games today are not simply used for entertainment. The global ‘serious games’ movement, for example, aims to maximize the potential of ‘play’ and is expanding the possibility of digital games by integrating them into education, defence, management, and health. Within academia, the study of digital games has involved important debates on social reality, virtuality, interactivity, and narratological/ludological essence. Through the use of different theoretical approaches, we need to continue exploring and redefining the meaning of digital games. This special issue of Westminster Papers in Communication and Culture (WPCC) aims to increase the dialogue between international media/game researchers by presenting contemporary research into digital games drawn from diverse perspectives. Papers from international scholars are all welcomed.
Suggested topics include, but are not limited to:
- The political-economy of the digital game industry and the global/local context of game production and consumption
- Digital games and cultural studies
- Qualitative research on gamers and gaming communities
- Narrative/content analysis of game genres and content
- New methods and methodologies in digital game studies
A 300-word abstract, full contact information for the corresponding author and a biographical note (up to 75 words) on each of the authors should be submitted no later than 14 October 2011.
Authors of accepted abstracts will be notified by the end of October 2011 and will be invited to submit a full paper by 10 February 2012
An invitation to summit a full paper does not constitute a commitment for publication. All papers will be subject to anonymous peer review following submission.
Complete manuscripts should be prepared in English in MS Word and adhere to the Manuscript Submission Guidelines (http://www.wmin.ac.uk/mad/page-1201); they should be 6000 – 8000 words, including notes and references. Papers should be accompanied by an abstract of 100-150 words and up to six keywords. The manuscript must contain a separate title page that should include: the title of the manuscript; the name(s) and affiliation(s) of the author(s); full contact details of the author(s); the author’s brief biographical statement.
Please email your abstract to the issue editor, Philip Lin at: t.lin@my.westminster.ac.uk.
Deadline for abstracts: 14 October 2011
Deadline for complete manuscripts: 10 February 2012