International Society
for Presence Research

Author: Matthew Lombard

  • Call: Morgan Centre Conference: ‘Living Stories’

    Published:

    Call for Abstracts: Morgan Centre Conference: ‘Living Stories’June 21-22, 2027Manchester, UKhttps://lists.aoir.org/archives/list/[email protected]/thread/FLJOH2BWQ3AFK3RSUWS4SDCLAGWKJ6OL/ Deadline for submission of abstracts: December 18, 2026 Dear all, We are hugely excited to let you know that our next Morgan Centre conference will take place at the University of Manchester, UK, 21-22 June 2027. We are delighted to share our call for abstracts with you. The theme of the conference is ‘Living Stories’. With this conference, we want to create space to discuss, and build scholarship around, the intimate entanglement between stories and life. Broadly conceived, we want to consider how stories are not only narratives we…

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  • Florida wants a court to stop ChatGPT from pretending to be human

    Published:

    [As this story from Gadget Review (also available via Yahoo! News) notes, the court hasn’t yet ruled on the matter, but the Attorney General of Florida is arguing that OpenAI should be required to change the design of its ChatGPT AI to stop “pretending to be human,” i.e., prevent it from evoking medium-as-social-actor presence. The last paragraph in the story summarizes the situation: “The case is forcing a question the industry has largely avoided. Should an AI that sounds like a person be required to make unmistakably clear that it is not one? How courts answer that question will have…

    Read more: Florida wants a court to stop ChatGPT from pretending to be human

  • Call: The Spectacle of the End. The End of Spectacle

    Published:

    Call for Papers: The Spectacle of the End. The End of SpectacleSecond Mediology Research Network conferenceDecember 14-15, 2026Onlinehttps://www.mediologynetwork.org/index.php/2026/07/15/2nd-mediology-research-network-conference-call-for-paper/ Deadline for submission of abstracts: October 15, 2026 We are pleased to announce the second MRN 2026 conference, entitled The Spectacle of the End. The End of Spectacle, aims to examine the contemporary transformations of spectacle, media and forms of representation in light of the cultural, technological, political and environmental crises of the present. The title proposes a twofold perspective. On the one hand, it invites reflection on the spectacle of the end: the forms through which crisis, war, violence, environmental catastrophe,…

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  • Meta VR Glasses to bring new way to experience immersive entertainment

    Published:

    [You’re likely to have heard about Meta’s announcement of new virtual reality glasses, due in spring 2027 with a lighter form factor than VR headsets. As this story from The Hollywood Reporter notes, it’s designed to be “a ‘cinema’ a ‘computer’ and a [gaming] ‘console’ all in one.” The focus here is on how the device will provide a new form of presence-evoking immersive entertainment, with some reasons to be both optimistic and skeptical about its appeal and likely success. –Matthew] Can Imax, Dolby and New VR Glasses Help Meta Reboot Its Immersive Entertainment Ambitions? Mark Zuckerberg unveiled a major…

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  • Call: GachaCon 2027: Otome Games

    Published:

    Call for Papers: GachaCon 2027: Otome GamesFebruary 1-3, 2027School of Creative MediaCity University of Hong Konghttps://tinyurl.com/gachacon2027callforpaper Deadline for submission of abstracts: November 30, 2026 Following the successful conclusion of GachaCon 2026: Genshin Impact in February 2026, we are pleased to announce the next annual edition of GachaCon. For 2027, we will host a three-day hybrid event. Two days will be dedicated to this year’s thematic focus: otome games. A third day will be reserved for presentations relating to any aspect of gacha games that need not relate to the thematic focus, just like how the 2026 edition included excellent presentations…

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  • Study: VR platform improves cataract patient education, satisfaction

    Published:

    [There’s no explicit mention of presence in this press release from ophthalmic technology company GreenMan Vision via Business Wire, but it’s certainly implicated in the results of the reported study about the effectiveness of a virtual reality platform used to educate, and provide simulated post-operative outcomes for, patients before surgery for cataracts. Follow the link within the release for more details. –Matthew] [Image: InSightVR headset with text: “A breakthrough VR platform that lets patients preview their vision – before they choose a lens.” Source: InsightVR] Peer-Reviewed Multi-Center Study Links GreenMan’s InSightVR to Greater Cataract Patient Understanding, Advanced-Technology IOL Selection and…

    Read more: Study: VR platform improves cataract patient education, satisfaction

  • Call: Foundations of Digital Games 2027

    Published:

    Call for Papers: Foundations of Digital Games 2027 (FDG 27)Melbourne, AustraliaJune 21-24, 2027http://fdg2027.org/authorinformation.html Deadlines for submissions: We are happy to announce the 22nd annual Foundations in Digital Games conference (FDG’27) will be held in Melbourne, Australia from June 21st to 24th 2027! The 2027 conference theme is: “Bending, Breaking, Blaming: Negotiations with Games”. This theme asks researchers to consider negotiations broadly, including, but not limited to negotiation mechanics in gameplay, cheating and transgressive play behaviours, the various technologies used to modify and mitigate games, and the social-cultural negotiations of games and gaming communities. We invite research from diverse disciplines and…

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  • Entering the story: “Uncanny Alley” redefines future of live entertainment

    Published:

    [An innovative immersive media experience called “Uncanny Alley: A New Day” recently won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Emerging Media Program. Excerpts from coverage by VR.org directly below are followed by a first-person report from The Hollywood Times on what the experience is like – including clear references to presence. See the original version of the latter story for eight more images; more details are available in a press release via EIN Presswire; the trailer for “Uncanny Alley” is available on YouTube. –Matthew] [From VR.org] A Live VRChat Show Won the Emerging Media Emmy Over Blumhouse and Fallout By Nina…

    Read more: Entering the story: “Uncanny Alley” redefines future of live entertainment

  • Call: Playing Antiquity: Video Games, Teaching and Historical Knowledge

    Published:

    Call for Papers: Playing Antiquity: Video Games, Teaching and Historical KnowledgeSpecial issue of AI & Antiquity: Journal of Teaching and Technology in Ancient Studieshttps://ai-antiquity.org/index.php/ai/cfp Deadline for submissions: February 28, 2027 AI & Antiquity: Journal of Teaching and Technology in Ancient Studies invites contributions for its first Special Issue, Playing Antiquity: Video Games, Teaching and Historical Knowledge, to be published in June 2027. Video games have become one of the major environments through which students and wider audiences encounter the ancient world. Yet their significance for Ancient Studies extends beyond questions of historical accuracy. Through mechanics, rules, maps, narratives, economies, political…

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  • ‘Shrek’ Cosm immersive experience may signal shared reality trend

    Published:

    [An expanded, dome-based immersive 25th anniversary version of the film Shrek is said to signal a “potential trend towards more Shared Reality experiences,” as reported in this story from ScreenRant. Excerpts from other coverage follow below. Short promotional videos are available on YouTube and TikTok. –Matthew] [Image: Source: Cosm on Instagram] New Version Of Shrek Movie Officially Releasing 25 Years Later By Hannah GearanSeptember 17, 2026 Shrek is getting new life in a re-release, but in an unexpected format. The fantasy series kicked off a quarter-century ago in 2001. The original movie earned strong critical reviews and a hefty box…

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  • Call: 1st Intl. Congress on Media and Comm. at Yeni Yuzyil

    Published:

    Call for Papers: 1st International Congress on Media and Communication at Yeni YuzyilNovember 23-24, 2026Onlinehttps://uyymik.yeniyuzyil.edu.tr/index-en.php Deadline for submission of abstracts: November 8, 2026 The 1st International Congress on Media and Communication at Yeni Yuzyil, organized to support the sharing of scientific knowledge, international collaborations, and professional development, brings together academics, researchers, professionals, and relevant stakeholders who are experts in the field. At the online congress, which will be held on 23-24 November 2026; current developments in our field, innovative approaches, scientific studies, and perspectives for the future will be discussed. We invite all academics, researchers, experts, and relevant stakeholders to…

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  • Will Immersive goggles change the way surgeons operate?

    Published:

    [This analysis from a story in Medscape highlights the many factors involved in successfully adopting new presence-evoking technologies in an application where there’s little margin for error. For related information see the “Dive deeper” feature in the original version. For earlier coverage on this topic see “With innovation of Medical Vision Goggles, no cancer cells left behind” from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and “The future of surgery: Using augmented reality goggles in the operating room” from UC Davis Health. –Matthew] [Image: Source: UC Davis Health] Will Immersive Goggles Change the Way Surgeons Operate? By Silvia C. CarpalloSeptember…

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