The British Digital Games Research Association (BDiGRA) is pleased to announce its Call for Hosts for the British DiGRA Conference 2027.
Following the success of BDiGRA 2025 at Birmingham City University and BDiGRA 2026 at the University of South Wales, we aim to continue to foster community and collaboration, bringing together scholars, practitioners, and industry professionals to explore the latest research and developments in digital games. The Board will provide support to the selected hosts through regular meetings with the organising committee.
Please send an outline of no more than 750 words to Dr Andra Ivănescu (BDiGRA Chair) by 15 October 2026 at andra.ivanescu@brunel.ac.uk.
Please include a draft of the following details as part of the proposal:
- Conference theme and suggested topics
Previous themes have included “What is British Game Studies?” and “Identities and Periphery.” Do consider how different disciplines could contribute to the theme (e.g. more humanities-focused game studies, but also HCI, computer science, music). - Conference location and venue
Accessibility should be considered. - Submission types, guidelines, and publication plans
We would encourage maintaining a variety of submission formats, including lightning talks, workshops, demos, and other forms of exhibition. Publication should consider alternative dissemination formats to encourage a wider range of participation, as well as different disciplinary expectations, including those of researchers and practitioners from non-traditional academic backgrounds. - Timeline and communication
A conference-specific website and other forms of outreach should be included here. - Budget
British DiGRA does not have a dedicated budget for this, so we would normally ask the host institution to cover basic costs such as venue space and refreshments. These costs could of course also be offset through ticket income, but we would want to keep registration fees as low as possible to ensure the event remains accessible to early-career and precariously employed researchers. - Contact information
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
BDiGRA is committed to fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment for all participants. As such, please provide a short statement on how your conference will address diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). This includes the diverse representation of keynotes (if keynotes are to be included), offering hybrid and other accessibility options, gender-neutral toilets, etc.
Sustainability
BDiGRA is also committed to making conferences more economically and environmentally sustainable. Please provide a short statement on how your conference will address sustainability, such as by providing sustainable catering options or offering digital programmes to reduce paper usage.
Engaging Broader Research Communities
Finally, we are considering new ways to engage with a broader range of research communities, as well as industry, activist, and advocacy groups. Please do let us know how you would support this, e.g. by including specialist tracks or other forms of engagement.
In conversation with the BDiGRA Executive Committee, we are expecting the conference to take place between March and July 2027. Budgets, venue, website, and the call for submissions need to be finalised three months prior to the event.
Thank you for applying to host BDiGRA 2027!
Best regards,
The BDiGRA Executive Committee