The Programme for the 2 day conference at Staffordshire University has been finalised and published – all details on our website – http://bdigra.org.uk/british-digra-2018
Paper Paramedic Invitation
Dear all, as part of BDiGRA’s remit to encourage new voices in Games Studies, we are offering a series of ‘Paper Paramedic’ sessions at this year’s BDiGRA conference (14th – 15th June, Staffordshire University, UK). If your paper was rejected, or if you simply did not submit a paper because you lacked confidence, or if you want advice on a paper that’s ‘almost but not quite’ there, BDiGRA will be running sessions to address this. The sessions are sign up in advance, and you will also need to send us a copy of your work when you apply.
On the first day, our mentors will work with you to give advice on your paper, including ways to improve your writing, ways to make your paper align to the various requirements needed to submit a conference paper, and will work with any feedback you’ve already had on your work. On the second day of the conference, we will run a series of abstract sessions similar to those taking part in the main conference, where you will present your work in a short session, and then discuss feedback / your work with the rest of the conference in an informal context (no powerpoint presentation required!).
If you are interested in taking part in this, please submit your work to britishdigra@gmail.com. Spaces are limited, so please get in touch if you want to take part. Note we are not taking research proposals for these sessions – the work must be something specifically intended for a conference presentation or publication. Early scholars will take precedence in our selection process (we will also take into account the mentors we have available and their subject areas within Games Studies).
Please mail britishdigra at gmail dot com if you are interested in applying.
Sign up for BDiGRA 2018 here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/british-digra-conference-2018-tickets-44834192276
We hope to see you there!
The B DIGRA 2018 team.
Tickets for British Digra 2018 now on Sale
With the call for papers closed and reviewing underway we’re pleased to announce that tickets are now on sale for British Digra 2018 at Staffordshire University, Stoke on Trent, ST4 2DE
Tickets are onsale via eventbrite here – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/british-digra-conference-2018-tickets-44834192276
Lunch will be included on both days and a social event is being organised on 14th of June
Further details of the programme are just being finalised and will be released shortly.
British Digra 2018 – deadline extension – Now April 3rd 2018
The team at British Digra, being hosted this year at Staffordshire University in Stoke-on-Trent have been so busy planning we’ve only just noticed our call for papers deadline (http://bdigra.org.uk/events) falls in the Easter Bank Holiday – With this in mind the team have decided to extend it until midnight on Tuesday April 3rd 2018.
Full details of submission specifics & paper template can be found here – http://bdigra.org.uk/events
We’re looking for submissions of the following types:
- Full papers, of 5000 – 7000 words, to be presented as papers in a panel session.
- Abstracts of 500 words, to be presented in a series of quickfire round table sessions.
- Discussion panels – to be submitted as precis of approx 500 – 1000 words underlining core objectives and aims.
- Workshops to last approx half a day – to be submitted as precis of approx 500 – 1000 words underlining core objectives and aims.
Any questions please direct them to BritishDigra@gmail.com
An ECR’s Guide to British Digra
Here at British Digra we’re really keen to make our events a really welcoming new voices to Game studies – so we asked Dr. Ying-Ying Law of Staffordshire University, our hosts this year, about her experiences last year at our Salford event:
Ying-Ying’s Blog – British DiGRA
Conference season… a term that begins around this time of year, where most people are either busy writing papers, reviewing abstracts, or both… followed by the conferences itself, which usually happens over summer holiday. I have always been quite frightful when it comes to conferences – What shall I write about? What happens if I don’t get accepted? What happens if I do, then what? And finally, why am I doing this? So I’ve decided to write a blog post about my experience presenting at conferences, and I would also like to make a disclaimer, that I am a British DiGRA (BDiGRA) organiser this year, so I will be promoting the event itself (at the end) – but please keep reading!
What shall I write?
This is a common question, as most academics may be writing on research they’re already working on, it could be an exploration of ideas, or it could even be something that has become very relevant in the world of games studies. Usually, what you submit is generally aligned with the theme of the conference. Does it match? If not, can you make it match? And will that draw out interesting ideas? For instance, this time last year I wrote an abstract piece to BDiGRA on female gamers and esports – I wanted to write a full paper, however, I was unsure how to expand my work – after presenting my work last year, I have taken away feedback to work on a full paper for BDiGRA this year. Therefore, it is important to highlight that it isn’t considered ‘shameful’ or ‘cheating’ to submit an abstract piece, instead it is encouraged to present your work you are interested in researching at conferences, and use it as a platform to explore ideas in a friendly environment and connect with the academic community.
What happens if I don’t get accepted?
If you have received an apology email that your abstract or paper has been rejected, it is important to not take it personally. This doesn’t mean your work was bad – as a conference organiser, there are only a certain number of days a conference is run, with so many slots and places available. For instance, DiGRA 2018 had over 300 submissions in the ‘general track’ this year. Hence, not everyone can be accepted and this is one of the reasons why we have a review process. Also, even if you don’t get accepted, the feedback from reviewers are insightful and useful for reflective purposes to improve your work and you can consider submitting to other conferences with a similar theme.
What happens if I get accepted, then what?
It’s wonderful news when you find out your abstract or paper has been accepted, but at the same time, it can also be a lot of work. From my own experience, I sometimes panic when I find out I’ve been accepted, because there’s a lot of things to organise; from checking your availability, booking accommodation and travel, not forgetting to register (early – for the early-bird fee), meet the deadline to make corrections, submit your presentation slides and practice, practice, practice!
Also, once you have received the full schedule of the conference, it’s also worth spending time looking at other key speakers/ speakers work to become familiar with their research and explore what gaps within the literature of game studies other academics are making their contribution towards – and if you have any questions about their work, conferences are a great opportunity for those questions to be answered.
Why am I doing this?
Finally, why am I doing this? Despite having previous experience presenting at a number of conferences, I’m not a great presenter – I regularly prepare a script to read (word from word) to my audience and hide behind my A4 sheets of paper.
As I previously mentioned, this time last year I submitted an abstract to BDiGRA, and I presented my work at a round table discussion (so, no PowerPoint slides – which meant no pieces of paper to hide behind) and I was told by Dr Esther MacCallum-Stewart to be my awesome self, and present my ideas – so I decided to do this without a script. To my surprise, I had a much better experience talking about my work to others in a more intimate setting (a round table of 10-15 people) – I felt relaxed and confident. I also felt glad that I wasn’t presenting a paper, as that required a PowerPoint presentation, but this time, I feel ready for it (fingers crossed my paper will be accepted).
So why do I still put myself in a situation where I often worry that my mind would go blank, others would think my ideas are irrelevant, and that it might be a ‘grilling’ process? Because it’s not like that, instead, it’s a place where you can be your awesome self and present your ideas in a friendly environment with like-minded individuals. It’s also an excellent opportunity for collaborative work with others too – so it’s always useful to have some business cards ready!
Finally, for those who are interested to submit to BDiGRA this year, we welcome submissions to our super friendly conference, including first time submissions and postgraduate research submissions. Also, we offer a mentorship scheme for those who seek guidance with their submissions, as well as offering mentors an opportunity to provide guidance to mentees – for more information about our mentorship scheme, please email: britishdigra@gmail.com
Thank you for your time reading my blog post! And I hope to see you at British DiGRA 2018!
Dr Ying-Ying Law
CfP – GAME‐ON’2018
Conference Aim
The aim of the 19th annual European GAME-ON® Conference (GAME-ON®‘2018) on Simulation and AI in Computer Games, is to bring together researchers and games developers in order to exchange ideas on programming and programming techniques, which will be beneficial to the gaming industry and academia. Secondly it aims to steer young people into this industry by providing how-to tutorials and giving them the opportunity to show their ideas and demos to the gaming industry. The conference will concentrate mostly on the programming of games, with special emphasis on simulation, AI and fuzzy sets, and physics related computer graphics. Next to that, all of this will be fused in the topic of computer game design in stand-alone and networked games. Software providers will be able to show their latest packages and give hand-on tutorials for the participants.
Companies will also have the opportunity to seek new talent at this unique event.
GAME-ON®‘2018 consists of five core tracks, which cover, Gaming Methodology, Game Theory, Gamification, Artificial Intelligence and Simulation, while the other tracks cover peripheral technologies closely linked to games design, like 3-D scalability, facial and skeletal animation, 3D in-game animation etc, Mobile Gaming and Gaming Applications such as Serious games and Gamification in different sectors; Organizational issues when implementing games; Designing games for learning; Technologies, tools and platforms for developing games for learning; Games to teach arts, science, or business; Social and collaborative aspects of game-based learning; Multi-modalaspects of game-based learning (e.g. audio, augmented reality, virtual reality, etc); Motivational aspects of game-based learning.
Details of the ocnference are here – https://www.eurosis.org/conf/gameon/2018/index.html
CFP – British DiGRA 2018
The second annual conference of British DiGRA.
14th – 15th June 2018
Staffordshire University, Stoke on Trent
CFP is here – http://bdigra.org.uk/events
We actively encourage early scholars and PhD candidates, as well as more established voices.
Submissions should consider, but not be restricted to, the following topics in this light:
- Revisiting Games as Inter/Multidisciplinary subject
- Gaming as Media
- Representation in Games
- Playfulness and the Medium of Games (Why/Not so Serious…?)
- Building games
- Pedagogical practice and gaming
- Game design/development/theory – the un/holy? trinity
- Changes in gaming culture
- After the Storm (post gamergate theory)
- Games production as critical medium
- eSports theory
We welcome a range of submission types – full details here – http://bdigra.org.uk/events
Please submit work to BritishDigra@gmail.com by 31st March 2018.
Acceptance of papers 14th April 2018
We have decided to charge a small attendance fee of £25 to cover costs. Any surplus funding will be carried over to future BDiGRA events. An eventbrite with details of this will be forthcoming.
We Make Stuff: Play and Multiplatform
We Make Stuff: Play and Multiplatform
Tuesday 6 February, 2018
5:30 PM – 9:00 PM
Burdall’s Yard, 7A Anglo Terrace, Avon, Bath, BA1 5NH
How can we utilise gaming and multiplatform strategies to create new digital methodologies for narrating the journeys of place and community?
Exploring how rich digital methods can be fathomed out of apps, gaming and multiplatform media to tell the personal stories of community and sense of place, We Make Stuff: Play and Multiplatform is a collaboration with Create Studios, an award-winning hub of digital creatives, and is the third in the Media Convergence Research Centre’s public engagement event series.
The event will consist of presentations delving into different ways in which playable media – such as gaming and apps – and transmedia storytelling can be used to empower communities in different contexts, spanning education in Latin America, the UK’s political groups, and questions of public place in Lancaster.
Presentations will be followed by a Q&A discussion panel.
Details on presentations and booking a place here – https://www.bathspa.ac.uk/news-and-events/events/play-and-multiplatform/
8th Irish Conference on Game-Based Learning
Call for Participation: 8th Irish Conference on Game-Based Learning
The Irish Conference on Game Based Learning (iGBL), formerly the Irish Symposium on Game-Based Learning, now in its eight year, will be hosted in Cork (Ireland) on 28th and 29th June 2018.
This conference provides a forum for all stakeholders interested in exchanging ideas, projects, and best practices on the use of games and game-based approaches to support motivation, learning, and change.
Researchers will be able to present and share their latest findings.
Students will have an opportunity to present their research or showcase their games, and meet specialists in this field to obtain constructive feedback.
Instructors will have the opportunity to discover new game-based teaching approaches and share new game-based skills that they can integrate in their teaching.
Companies will be able to showcase their products and explain how these can be used in the context of learning and motivation.
Prospective presenters can submit their abstract through the online submission system.
We welcome abstracts from a wide range of stakeholders, including researchers, instructors, or students, who will have the opportunity to conduct workshops, present research results, or provide insights on how they managed to design or use games for educational or motivational purposes.
Important Dates
22nd of February: Final Abstract submission deadline.
22nd of March: Notification of abstract acceptance.
22nd of March: Successful research abstracts are invited to submit an extended version to be published in the International Journal of Game-Based Learning.
12th of April: Registration deadline for presenting authors.
12th of April: Submission of extended abstracts (i.e., research papers).
22nd of April: Notification of acceptance of extended papers.
We look forward to receiving your abstracts.
The iGBL2018 committee.
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For more information on iGBL2018, please email us at: igblconference@gmail.com or visit the official website (http://igbl-conference.com).
IEEE Games, Entertainment, & Media (GEM) 2018
IEEE Games, Entertainment, & Media (GEM) 2018
Call for Papers, Special Sessions, Tutorials and Industry Contributions
Continuing the grand tradition & broadening the scope of the IEEE International Games Innovation Conference (IGIC, 2009 – 2013) and IEEE Games Entertainment & Media (GEM, 2014 – 2016) we introduce the GEM 2018 conference to be held on-campus at the National University of Ireland Galway, August 16th – 18th .
Introduction:
The Games, Entertainment and Media (GEM) Conference began in London 2009, and moved to venues in the US and Canada until 2016. For 2018 the IEEE Consumer Electronics Society will re-boot GEM outside of North America for the first time in a decade at the National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG).
Situated on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean the West of Ireland has traditionally been the site of the first trans-Atlantic air-flights and there are many historic links between Ireland, the US & Canada stretching back to the times of the Irish famine. Today you can explore the rich heritage & history of the West of Ireland via the Wild Atlantic Way and Galway is conveniently situated at the mid-point of this 1,500 mile long costal adventure.
Today, our aim is to build a bridge between gaming and digital media research in North America and in Europe and the UK. Ireland, with unique historic links to North America, coupled with a pivotal role as a technology European technology hub and strong economic ties with the UK, offers a unique venue for gaming and digital media researchers to meet and share the latest innovations.
Conference Scope
In scope GEM encompasses all aspects of gaming and interactive digital media ranging from theoretical advances in algorithmic and mathematical techniques, to new enabling technologies, advanced consumer electronics systems, novel sensing technologies, to socio-economic impacts and unique and original uses and applications of these technologies. GEM is for scientists, engineers, psychologists, sociologists, mathematicians, programmers and games researchers of all disciplines, united in their interest and enthusiasm for digital games, interactive entertainment & media and the significant uses and impacts these technologies have on our lives.
If you would like to see your personal area of GEM research represented in Galway in 2018 please contact Peter Corcoran, Sam Redfern, or Charlotte Kobert to share your ideas and vision for a special or panel session, a tutorial or a hands-on demonstration or workshop.
Conference Research Themes
The main conference theme reflects recent technology developments in consumer technologies, in particular the availability of advanced AR software, advances in sensing and computer vision & display technologies and the growing sophistication of new cloud computing services; thus we find ourselves in a world open with new technological capabilities to create “Augmented Spaces and Virtual Worlds”.
GEM delegates are encouraged to submit original research works exploring these new, emerging possibilities to create exciting, engaging, authentic digital gaming and interactive-media experiences for end-users. The main conference tracks are:
Academic Research Themes
- GEM in the Cloud
- Mobile & Wearable Technologies for GEM
- Augmented & Virtual Reality in GEM
- Social and Economic Aspects of Digital GEM
- Societal & Behavioural Impacts of GEM
- Medical Applications of GEM
- Augmented Spaces for GEM
- Emerging Technologies:
- User Interface,
- Location-Awareness,
- Touch & Haptics,
- Motion Capture,
- Distributed Intelligence,
- eSports
- Serious Gaming
- Education & Learning through GEM
- Artificial Intelligence in GEM
- AI Engines & Accelerators
- Deep Learning & Neural Networks
Industry Research Themes
- GEM Design, Development & User Experience
- Serious Gaming & Industry Applications
- Practical Case Studies of GEM
- GEM Platforms & Infrastructure
- Standards & Open-Source GEM
Peer & Invited Contributions
Peer-Reviewed Contributions (Academic)
- Long/Short Paper + Oral Presentation (20 mins)
- Long Paper + Poster
Peer-Reviewed Contributions (Industry)
- Long Oral Presentation (PPT slides, 20 mins)
- Industry Demo (Tabletop – Slides optional)
Invited Contributions
- Keynote Talk (PPT slides, 30-45 mins)
- Panel Session
- Special Oral Session (3-5 long papers)
- Special Poster Session (8+ posters)
- Tutorials & Hand-on Workshops
Plenary Keynote Sessions:
GEM will feature 6 plenary keynote sessions. Details will be available shortly on the conference website, accessible via the short link: http://bit.ly/GEM2018 .
Publication Opportunities:
The conference proceedings will be published on IEEE Xplore.
In addition, there will be opportunities for special sections in several IEEE Journals and technical Magazines including:
- IEEE Transactions on Consumer Electronics
- IEEE Consumer Electronics Magazine
IEEE Technology in Society Magazine
Selected papers will receive mentoring & advice from members of the GEM organising committee develop their articles for archival publication in relevant IEEE Journals.
Technology Demonstration Sessions:
GEM has a tradition of emphasising new and emerging technologies and their role in improving and enhancing the user experience, interactivity and social aspects of gaming and interactive media.
This year we will have several industry-led sessions with a focus on new audio & display technologies and other novel approaches to providing enhanced and augmented interactive spaces. Details will be available shortly on the main conference website or at the short link: http://bit.ly/GEM2018 .
Conference Venue:
GEM 2018 will be held in the Alice Perry Engineering Building on the NUI Galway campus. The venue is close to the Corrib Student Village where reserved accommodation is available for delegates. The venue is a 15 minute walk from downtown Galway.
Conference Organization:
Conference Chair: Peter Corcoran of NUI Galway; founding editor, IEEE Consumer Electronics Magazine; dr.peter.corcoran@ieee.org
Program Chair: Sam Redfern, university lecturer & game programmer; sam.redfern@nuigalway.ie
Publicity Chair: Lee Stogner; l.stogner@ieee.org
Publications Chair: Tom Wilson; tom.wilson@ieee.org
Conference Manager: Charlotte Kobert; ckobert@ieee.org
Conference Timeline (indicative)
Submissions should be made via the EDAS conference management system (www.edas.info); if you do not yet have an EDAS account then please register; submit a paper via the menu; select the GEM 2018 conference.
Submissions should be in standard IEEE two-column format. For additional details or queries please contact the publication chair or conference manager.
Submission deadlines: 31st March 2018
Notification: May 2018
Camera-Ready papers: June 2018
Conference Venue: National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG), August 15th-17th.
Getting There:
Delegates are recommended to fly into Dublin Airport where there are coach services every 30 minutes to Galway. These are comfortable modern coaches with onboard WiFi. Alternatively it is possible to fly into Shannon Airport but transport to Galway is less frequent so this is only advised if you plan to hire a car to explore the Wild Atlantic Way (https://www.wildatlanticway.com/ )
For Further Information on the conference please consult the official IEEE GEM 2018 website at http://sites.ieee.org/ieeegem/
For Further Information on Galway and the West of Ireland:
https://www.wildatlanticway.com/
http://thisisgalway.ie/events/
Elena Bertozzi, PhD. Associate Professor
Game Design & Development
Quinnipiac University * 203-582-7998* CAS 1 327 *
elena.bertozzi@qu.edu * ardeaarts.org * familyplanninggame.qu.edu