[Air-l] CFP: Computer Games and Digital Cultures Conference

[Frans Mäyrä]

Computer Games and Digital Cultures Conference
Call for Papers

June 6-8, 2002
Tampere, Finland

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Computer Games and Digital Cultures (CGDC) conference is organised by the
Hypermedia Laboratory, University of Tampere. It is arranged in co-operation
with the University of Turku and the IT University of Copenhagen, the UIAH
Medialab, Helsinki, and partners in the digital content industry. The
conference continues the series of international game studies conferences
opened by Computer Games and Digital Textualities (Copenhagen, March 1-2,
2001).

Deadline for proposals
January 30, 2002

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Overview

Computer games have rapidly become a significant and expanding field of
entertainment industry and modern culture. The research and development of
games has reached an important phase. Various conceptual and theoretical
models to understand games and their working are being created, while the
games themselves are growing into new dimensions with their online and
multiplayer capabilities. The transition into the world of mobile gaming is
creating even more challenges and further possibilities.

The Computer Games and Digital Cultures conference offers a comprehensive
view into the current state of digital games, and their research, as well as
forums for interdisciplinary discussion. Conference includes presentations
from leading experts, both from the academic research institutions and game
industry, including the opening words by Espen Aarseth (University of
Bergen), keynote presentations by Greg Costikyan (Unplugged Games, USA),
Steven Poole (author of the "Trigger Happy", UK) and designer of games like
Ultima Underworld, System Shock, Thief and Deus Ex, Warren Spector
(Ionstorm, USA).

Agenda

Computer games have grown into an increasingly important cultural form, that
has a profound impact on the way interactivity, digital aesthetics and
online environments are currently understood. The conference will explore
the aesthetic as well as narrative and structural issues of computer games,
while also functioning as a bridge and intermediary between the academic
research and professional gaming community. The approach of conference is
interdisciplinary and comprehensive; the analysis of games and the gaming
communities will advance the study of interactive media, create fruitful
exchange of perspectives with the professional game developers, and further
the development of digital culture.

Workshops

The CGDC has two parts, the first day consisting of workshops that explore
the pragmatic and creative issues of games as a form of culture and
industry. The participants can register for this day separately, or for the
whole three-day conference. The participants may submit proposals for
workshops, focusing on creative design processes, dynamics of gameplay in
particular game types, or, e.g., issues related to technical implementation
or economics of contemporary game projects. Workshops with an academic focus
are also invited. The first day will also include keynote workshops, to be
announced later. In addition, participants are encouraged to offer
suggestions for topics for the panel discussions.

Research Papers

The second and third days are dedicated to the research papers dealing with
games. Both specific analyses of games as a form of art and entertainment
are welcome, as well as more general approaches dealing with the cultural
practices related with games and social activities in online environments.
Suggested topics include, but are not limited to:
  - design and analysis of games,
  - communication and community in relation to games,
  - online and mobile gaming.

Since the aim of the CGDC is to foster dialogue between the game developer
and researcher communities, organisers wish that even the more theoretical
papers would include concrete examples or references to games or
game-related practices.

The paper and workshop proposals should be submitted in the form of
abstracts by the end of January 2002. The deadline for full papers is April
8, 2002, and papers will be included in the printed conference publication.
There is a half an hour time reserved for presenting each paper in the
programme.

The Conference Publication

The publication including the conference proceedings will be delivered to
the participants at the conference.

Submission Format

The proposal for a research paper should consist of an abstract of at least
1000 words. A short biography of the author should be included.

The proposal for a workshop has no fixed format. Rather, innovative topics
and creative working practices are encouraged. The workshop proposals should
include a description of the topic, goals and methods applied in the
workshop. The time available for a workshop process is either three hours (a
half-day workshop), or seven hours (a full day workshop). A proposal should
state which alternative it is describing.

All proposals should be submitted through the online form at the CGDC web
site.

Further Inquiries:

For further information and updates on the conference programme, please
consult the conference website: http://www.uta.fi/cgdc (the official website
opens in December 2001).

The organising committee can be reached through professor Frans Mäyrä
(frans.mayra at uta.fi; the conference programme) or conference producer
Carolina Pajula (carolina.Pajula at uta.fi; the conference arrangements).

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