Call for Papers
Central and Eastern European Game Studies (CEEGS) 2023 Conference
Theme: Meaning and Making of Games
Macromedia University
Leipzig, Germany
October 19-21, 2023
http://www.ceegs.eu/
Submission deadline: April 28, 2023
Dear all,
It is my great pleasure to share with you our ‘Call for Papers’ for the upcoming CEEGS 2023 conference (and new ‘DiGRA Chapter for Central and Eastern Europe’), taking place at Macromedia University in Leipzig from October 19-21.
Theme: Meaning and Making of Games
With it, we wish to bring together the game studies and game design & development communities to create a fruitful dialogue. How game studies informs the creation of games is among the main questions, as wells as how game developers employ research for their creations, but also the role of societal context and how a discussion of games shapes the medium in different ways.
For more info and the full CPF see below, or check our website: www.ceegs.eu
Best wishes on behalf of the organising and programme committee, and we would be looking forward to welcoming you in October in Leipzig,
Gerald Farca (gerald.farca@gmail.com), Organizing Committee
ABOUT CEEGS
CEEGS (Central and Eastern European Game Studies conference) is a gathering of game scholars organised annually by DiGRA Central and Eastern Europe, but its thematic scope is not limited to regional topics, and it welcomes participants from anywhere in the world.
The 2023 conference will be hosted by Macromedia University in Leipzig, Germany.
IMPORTANT DATES
Submission deadline: April 28, 2023
Notification to authors: July 7, 2023
Early bird registration deadline: July 28, 2023
Regular registration: July 29 – August 31, 2023
Late registration: September 1-15, 2023
Conference: October 19-21, 2023
THEME AND SCOPE: MEANING AND MAKING OF GAMES – NEW CHALLENGES AT THE INTERSECTION OF GAME STUDIES AND GAME DESIGN
In the roughly 50-year history of video games (and thousands of years of analogue games) both artistic and scholarly explorations of ludic phenomena have generated productive outcomes. While the practical side of game design gave the medium its life and offered many adventures for players to partake in, game studies have analysed these worlds, narratives, and games, as well as their social context to create a theoretical and cultural discourse surrounding the medium. How games produce meaning and function as cultural artefacts has been of the forefront of discussion, but also how this, in return, influences the making of games.
The question arises, however, whether these two fields can be seen as isolated enterprises (with one focussing on ‘creation’ while the other on ‘analysis’) or whether they have successfully worked together. After all, game design and theoretical discussions sometimes go hand in hand. There are many game design theories and handbooks, such as Salen and Zimmerman’s, but also artistic works that value a close collaboration between theory and design: for example, Paolo Pedercini’s at Molleindustria, Michael Mateas’ dissertation on interactive drama and the game Façade, Tracy Fullerton’s exploration of ecology in Walden: Life in the Woods, or Anna Anthropy’s account of gender Dys4ia. Most of the examples are from experimental game design, but if we are correct in assuming that theory, practice, avant-garde experimentation, and mass-market productions will sooner or later influence and complement each other, the question arises as to what new challenges will emerge at the intersection of game design and game studies, and how these can benefit from one another instead of creating an unbridgeable gap.
Games are a cultural phenomenon and often evoke controversial discussions that cannot be separated from academic debates. The Last of Us and Hogwarts: Legacy, for example, have generated intense debate about diversity and inclusivity in games and society at large, which points to the mutual influence that games can have regarding their culture, discourse, and design. Games, in other words, are inspired by real-life experiences, but they can equally shape societies through generating discourse and affecting the lives of millions of players. It is this question, now, that the conference wishes to tackle how game design practice is influenced and shaped by the theoretical discourse surrounding games (whether in fan forums but specifically in academia) and how game studies and design may create a fruitful interplay between theory and practice.
This is more topical than ever, as games have delved into complex issues—such as mental health, politics, utopian and dystopian futures, diversity and gender, ecology and sustainability, monstrosity and posthumanism, etc.—and are exploring trajectories of modern art and fiction to scrutinise and explore the challenges of the contemporary societies, to warn about certain tendencies and, maybe, suggest solutions or pathways into a better future. The experience of play, then, shows a fundamental regenerative appeal to the human psyche—and in this regard, game designers and scholar alike share an ‘artistic responsibility’ to shape our future through creation, discourse, and action. Without game design there are, of course, no game studies, but game studies and culture may equally shape the design of games and society—with a rapidly changing world, facing new challenges such as AI, automation, new forms of warfare, climate change, continuous racism, as well as diversity issues, and so on.
We therefore cordially invite scholars, researchers, and game design professionals to submit proposals for presentations exploring the intersections between game studies and game design—their challenges, future potentials, and prospect of a fruitful dialogue to learn and benefit from each other.
- GAMES AS CULTURE AND FORMS OF ARTISTIC EXPRESSION: how games shape human discourse about society and contribute to new forms of game design and development; how they negotiate certain topics such as gender diversity, ecology, AI, human and nonhuman, politics, human philosophy.
- PLAYER EXPERIENCE: game analytics and player behaviour, preferences, and the multifaceted effects of games and play.
- WORLD BUILDING AND DESIGN: cultural and ecological constructions and representations of gameworlds and the ways in which these worlds reflect and shape our understanding of reality; how gameworlds negotiate empirical reality, what elements (aesthetic, artistic traditions, etc.) they borrow, and how they re-arrange them in a coherent gameworld.
- CHARACTER ART AND DESIGN: artistic history and cultural expression in character design, diversity, stereotypes and breaking with them; representation of gender, monstrosity, etc., and the impact of these representations on players and society.
- NARRATIVE DESIGN: recurring plot structures, master narratives; how ancient, literary, and transmedia plot structures influence the design of games, and how they shape our understanding of storytelling and ways of communication in the digital age.
- RULES, MECHANICS, DYNAMICS, and their relation.
- SYSTEMS AND IDEOLOGICAL OR UTOPIAN STRUCTURES: mechanics as metaphors; games as miniature-labs for systemic confrontations, learning from systems and cultural ramifications; if games can be seen as miniature laboratories that teach systematic thinking, which new ludic developments will influence our established systems? Which new systems will emerge and how may game design help?
- GAME PRODUCTION: investigating the production processes involved in the creation of games, with a focus on the ethical, ecological, social, and political implications of these processes.
- GAMING COMMUNITIES: intercultural aspects, confrontations, groupings and forum discussions about games and culture and their interaction with game designers.
- PLAYFUL COMMUNITIES AND GAMIFICATION PRACTICES: the homo ludens as a new labourer and the use of game design elements in non-gaming contexts.
- AI AND FUTURE TECHNOLOGIES: how AI may inform and help game design; how AI may help in the creation of systems and meaning production; questions of authorship, etc.; the potential of virtual and augmented reality for game design and player experience.
- GAME ACCESSIBILITY AND INCLUSIVITY: examining how game design can be made more accessible to players with disabilities, and how games can promote diversity and inclusivity.
- AESTHETICS AND DESIGN OF EXPERIMENTAL AND INDEPENDENT GAMES: avant-garde experimentation in games and their theoretical input for game studies; serious games, health games, etc.; examining the impact of these games on players and society.
- GAME DESIGN RESEARCH PROCESS: game preproduction and research, and their influence on game design and AAA productions.
SUBMISSIONS
Papers for CEEGS 2023 should be submitted as abstracts of approximately 500 words (400 words minimum and 600 words maximum). Each submission needs to be accompanied by a list of references cited within the abstract, which do not count towards the word limit.
You can find more information about the submission and review process on the conference website, ceegs.eu.
Submission Link to Easy Chair: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=ceegs2023
WORKSHOPS
CEEGS has a long tradition of inspiring workshops, meant mainly to present and discuss work-in-progress research. Workshops will take place on the first day of the conference. If you want to propose a workshop, please email us directly at: ceegs@macromedia.de
Each submission should be around 600 words and needs to be accompanied by a list of references cited within the abstract, which do not count towards the word limit.
The workshops may be held in different formats: from theoretical discussions to practical workshops. Also, you may hold the workshop individually or may invite several speakers with a separate CFP.
Submission deadline for workshops: May 22, 2023
Notification of acceptance: July 7, 2023
DOCTORAL CONSORTIUM
We will host a consortium for master and PhD students, who may send their abstracts (approximately 500-800 words) to the organizing committee: ceegs@macromedia.de
Each submission needs to be accompanied by a list of references cited within the abstract, which do not count towards the word limit.
Submission deadline for doctoral consortium: May 22, 2023
Notification of acceptance: July 7, 2023
ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
- GERALD FARCA
- Marcus Klöppel
- Dominik Rinnhofer
- Hans-Christian Schmidt
- Jan Cordes
- Anna Krins (event manger)
- Christian Milster (campus director Leipzig)
- Lukas Kriebel (head of operations, Leipzig)
- Lya Melzer (campus Leipzig)
PROGAMME COMMITTEE
- Mateusz Felczak
VENUE
The conference will be held at Macromedia University of Applied Sciences in Leipzig, Germany.
Nordstraße 3-15, 04105 Leipzig
CONFERENCE FEE
Early bird (until July 28, 2023), 79 EUR
Regular Registration (July 29 – August 31, 2023) 99 EUR
Late Registration (September 1 – 15, 2023) 119 EUR
A reduced fee will be available for students and independent researcher: 49 EUR
(to validate your status as student or independent researcher, please send us confirmation to ceegs@macromedia.de)
CONTACT
All questions about submissions should be emailed to ceegs@macromedia.de