Call for Papers:

Serious Play Europe 2026 and Serious Play North America 2026
From the Gamesnetwork mailing list

Hello colleagues,

I am writing to share an update on Serious Play 2026. This year we are running two in-person events and we would love to welcome more games scholars and research teams into the program.

Serious Play Europe 2026

• June 18–19, 2026 | Mainz, Germany (KUZ Kulturzentrum Mainz)
• Call for Speakers is now open (February 15th deadline)
• 20% early bird registration discount until February 15 with EARLYBIRDNA20 code.

Serious Play North America 2026

• August 5–7, 2026 | Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
• Call for Speakers is now open (March 31st deadline)
• 20% early bird registration discount until February 15 with EARLYBIRDEU20 code.

We welcome proposals across the full spectrum of games, play, simulations, and gamification. Session formats include talks, panels, and workshops, plus a dedicated Research & Paper Presentation format with proceedings publication.

If you have work that sits at the intersection of research and real-world deployment, this is a particularly strong venue to connect with developers, educators, and partners across sectors. Please feel free to share with colleagues, labs, and graduate students who might be a good fit.

Warm regards,

Paul

—
Paul Darvasi, PhD
Lecturer & Researcher
The Play Lab
OISE | University of Toronto
paul.darvasi@utoronto.ca

Executive Director
Serious Play Conference
https://seriousplayconf.com/
paul@seriousplayconf.com

CEO & Co-Founder
Gold Bug Interactive
www.goldbuginteractive.com