Call for Papers:

SOUND OF GAMES
Fifth International Video Game Studies Conference (SVI2026)
November 12-13, 2026
Kazimierz Wielki University, Bydgoszcz, Poland [and online]
https://sviconference.org/

Deadline for submissions: July 1, 2026

The fifth edition of the SVI video game conference, Sound of Games, is dedicated to the study of sound, music, and voice as fundamental yet still insufficiently examined dimensions of video games. Building on the long-standing dialogue between academic research and industry practice that characterizes the SVI series, the conference aims to bring together scholars, composers, sound designers, voice actors, and other practitioners working with game audio. Focusing on issues such as the aesthetics and functions of game music, sound design as a component of gameplay and player experience, the cultural and political implications of audio, voice acting and performance, technological infrastructures, and practice-based research methodologies, the conference seeks to address sound as both an artistic and a systemic phenomenon.

By foregrounding audio as a site where technology, creativity, embodiment, and interaction converge, Sound of Games emphasizes the position of video games as complex audiovisual forms that are simultaneously programmed systems and cultural artifacts. Reflecting this complexity, the conference is structured around thematic areas that allow for the permeation of theory and practice, analysis and making, and academic reflection and professional experience, highlighting game sound as a crucial lens through which to rethink video games as mediated, interdisciplinary, and deeply sensory creations.

The Sound of Games conference is addressed to both scholars and industry practitioners. We welcome scholars of all disciplines, composers, sound designers, performers, writers, to contribute to a critical and creative exploration of audio in digital, analogue and hybrid games. We seek interdisciplinary work that addresses the cultural, aesthetic, technological, and experiential dimensions of game sound, music, and voice performance across global contexts.

Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

Theory, Analysis, and Aesthetics of Game Music

• Analytical approaches to game soundtracks and adaptive scores
• Interplay between music, narrative, and gameplay
• Genre conventions and experimental strategies
• Intertextuality, quotation, and nostalgia

Cultural, Social, and Political Dimensions of Game Audio

• Sound, identity, gender, race, and sexualities
• Local, regional, and diasporic sound cultures in games
• Music licensing, copyright, and global media economies
• Crossovers with film, theater, animation, and other media

Sound Design, Audio Technologies, and Player Experience

• Spatial audio, procedural sound, and haptics
• Accessibility, optimization, and technical constraints
• Artificial intelligence in composition and sound design
• Psychoacoustics and player response

Voice Acting, Performance, and Vocal Presence

• Techniques and aesthetics of voice performance in games
• Localization, dubbing, performance capture, and multilingual practices
• Ethics of voice labour, representation, and digital cloning
• Emotional design, characterization, and immersion

Education and History

• Training in composition, sound design, and voice acting
• Pedagogical models, curricula, and interdisciplinary practice
• Oral histories, fan archives, and community memory
• Histories of video game sound and music cultures

CONFIRMED KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:

Melanie Fritsch
Game Studies junior professor and game music expert
Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

Adam Skorupa
Music Composer and Sound Designer
Music Imaginary

PARTICIPATION

Abstracts of up to 300 words, with up to 5 keywords, along with a short bio (up to 100 words) should be sent before July 1st, 2026, to conference.svi@gmail.com

Notification of Acceptance: July 21, 2026

Fee Payments Deadline (80 EUR (40 EUR for students/PhD students)): September 7th, 2026

Full Paper Submission Guidelines (pdf)

The official language of the conference is English.

Please visit our website for detailed information:
https://sviconference.org/