Different Games Conference: Call for Papers, Games and Workshop Proposals

  • Location: New York University Polytechnic Institute, Brooklyn, New York, US
  • Deadline: Feb 1 2013 at 12:00AM
  • outbound link ↱
Different Games Conference: Call for Papers, Games and Workshop Proposals

The Department of Technology, Culture and Society at New York University’s Polytechnic Institute invites submissions of original games, scholarly research, and workshop proposals for Different Games.

Proposals are due February 1st, 2013 to DifferentGamesConference(at)gmail.com

While recent years have drawn attention to the presence of women, queers, people of color and other minoritarian or intersectional identities as players and designers, issues such as the well documented lack of diversity in industry positions, and recent events such as the wide-scale trolling of Anita Sarkeesian’s work on sexism in games points toward the need for continued attention to the subject as well as to efforts to resist and critique existing paradigms. Different Games seeks diverse stakeholders—including game designers, developers, critics, players and academics—to come together for large-scale conversation on the state of diversity and representation within game content, industry and indie production, and academic research on games. Different Games aims to celebrate works that advances assessment and reflection around how games relate to the identity of players, designers and others—with special attention to showcasing efforts that challenge the status quo in games and gaming culture.

Topics covered may include (but are not limited to):

  • Radical and transgressive games
  • Gaming and sexual expression
    Work/Life balance and fair labor in the games industry
    Games as a critical art practice or as institutional critique
    Gaming for the differently-abled
    Games and Urbanism: The street games movement, big games and gaming in public space
    Pay to Play: Gaming and class or games under capitalism
    Beyond binary gender in games
    Harassment in online games and forums: Creating safe spaces in games
    Representations of culture and race in games
    Games as political/social criticism
    How are we doing? Discussion of the state of inclusivity/diversity in the gaming world
    Gaming is for everybody (the rise and implications of casual and social games)
    History of Women in games

    Submissions are invited in three categories:

    Games

    Designers and developers are invited to submit links to or downloads of fully playable, finished games to be presented in an arcade format during the conference. Please include a 300-500 word statement, project credits and 100 word bios of the lead/primary contributors to the project.

    If you are currently at work on a game that is still in production that you’d like to present in progress please submit a 300-500 word statement, project credits and one 100 word bios of primary contributors along with the most current examples of art assets, prototyping, playtests videos, etc.

    Scholarly Research

    Academics, journalists, critics, curators, preservationists and researchers are invited to submit a scholarly abstract of 350-500 words for 15-20 minutes presentations. Scholarly works may address issues of representation in games, offer original ethnographic, sociological or cultural studies analysis of players, designers, fan communities, etc. or address any other topic relevant to the theme. Your abstract should summarize your contribution and clearly establish its stakes within both the academic and broad games community dialogue. Please include a 100 word bio and CV.

    Panel proposals will also be accepted. Please submit 3 individual abstracts and CVs for each participant, along with a 300-500 word explanation of the panel’s overall theme or contribution and a CV for the chief organizer or proposed facilitator.

    Workshops

    Different Games also invites submissions of workshop proposals on topics related to the conference theme of inclusion and diversity in gaming and alternative approaches to game development and design.


    Possible formats might include:

    Teaching workshops or skillshares that offer hands-on experience in area interest to the community, e.g., designing or prototyping games, strategies for advocacy, framing games research for publication, etc.
    Community building workshops to support connection and collaboration between conference attendees.
    Proposal should contain:

    100 word statement on the background and motivation behind the workshop.
    Workshop format and expected number of presented papers, talks or demonstrations, as well as the ideal number of audience members/participants.
    100 word bios and CVs of facilitator(s) and any invited presenters and whether their participation has been confirmed.

    For questions regarding the conference or a submission, please contact the conference coordinators at DifferentGamesConference(at)gmail.com