I'm putting the finishing touches on my proposal for FDG '09 and kind of wish the timing worked out better for this conference, too (damn quarter system). Last year sounded like a pretty good time — and it's even bigger this year. So if you've got a paper or presentation up your sleeve, you've got until February 16th to submit it. The full CFP is below:

Games+Learning+Society 5.0: Learning Through Interaction
http://glsconference.org
June 10-12, 2009 Madison, WI
CALL FOR PAPERS

Back by demand and now expanded to accommodate last year’s waiting list, the GLS conference this year will features substantive discussion and collaboration among academics, designers, and educators interested in how videogames –- commercial games and otherwise -– can enhance learning, culture, and education. This year’s theme of “Learning through Interaction” highlights the expansive nature of our definition of games & game culture to include research and design in areas including popular culture and fandom, interactive design more generally, and digital/visual cultures. This three-day conference will be held at the UW’s historic Memorial Union, overlooking downtown Madison's beautiful Lake Mendota.

Conference highlights also include keynotes by leaders in both academics and industry, interactive workshops on game design and games research, both individual and symposia presentation sessions, “chat n’ frags” in the arcade for hands-on gameplay, an evening poster session over cocktails & hors d'oeuvres, an evening machinima festival in the playhouse theatre, and fireside chats that enable thorough, cozy conversations among speakers and attendees. We encourage the submission of traditional paper sessions as well as innovative talk formats which focus on game design, game culture, and games' potential for learning and society more broadly.

Confirmed Speakers include: James Paul Gee, Idit Caperton, Alex Chisholm, Doug Church, Mia Consalvo, Elonka Dunin, Drew Davidson, Lisa Nakamura, Bonnie Nardi, Kurt Squire, Constance Steinkuehler, Steve Thorne, Eric Zimmerman.

Submissions are due online by February 16, 2009. Complete submission guidelines can be found on the submissions site at http://glsconference.org.

The Games+Learning+Society (GLS) Conference is sponsored by the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Academic ADL Co-Lab. For information on how to sponsor this event, contact the conference coordinator at gls(at)seanmichaeldargan(dot)com.

[via Terra Nova]

Q: Is the program available to students from all countries?
A: Yes, students from all countries are welcome to apply, though applications must be in English. The language of the conference is English.

Q: Are there restrictions on the kind of degree program?
A: Yes, undergraduate students must be enrolled in a 4-year degree program (or equivalent, or better, such as a 5 year dual degree or 5 year BS/MS). If you have questions about whether your degree program is acceptable, please contact the Student Scholarships Chair.

Q: Do I have to be a current student?
A: Yes, you must currently be enrolled as a student to apply.

Q: When will you contact the faculty member reference?
A: We plan on only contacting faculty references for those students who are in our semi-finalist pool. Once contacted, we will only ask for a few paragraphs of information. For the faculty member, the entire process should take less than 20 minutes.

Q: Who should I choose as a faculty member reference?
A: Ideally a faculty member who can discuss your game project in detail, and who understands your overall academic progress.

Q: Should applicants have a valid passport?
A: Yes, applicants should already have a valid passport, as there may not be time to get one between announcement of winners and the cruise. Applicants should be aware that, should they win, they will need to be able to travel to the United States and to the Bahamas.

Q: How many students will be selected?
A: We anticipate 10-15 students will participate in this program.

Q: If I am selected, what will it cost to attend the conference?
A: Students selected for scholarships will have reasonable airfare (coach on lowest cost airline), hotel the night before (and after, if necessary), and reasonable incidental travel costs (airport shuttle or parking, dinner the night before the conference, etc. The conference reserves the right to not reimburse expenses that are viewed as excessive.

Call for Papers

As fear is the oldest and strongest emotion of mankind (Lovecraft), human beings have always taken a malicious pleasure in frightening themselves. If literature and cinema were and still represent good means for the expression of horror, nowadays, the experience of fear is as intense in video games.

While academia has been studying horrific literature and films for a few decades, such an interest for the videoludic side of horror has not, until now, showed up. Yet, since the cinematic staging of fear in Alone in the Dark in 1992, the "Survival Horror" has become a prolific genre offering a wide selection of significant games such as the Resident Evil, Silent Hill and Fatal Frame series. Because it is at the crossroads of diverse cultural heritages and the latest technological developments, and because it exhibits the ins and outs of the matrix that governs all but a few games (spatial navigation and survival), horror video games require a deeper study.

This international conference wishes to study horror video games (not necessarily labeled survival horror) from an eclectic range of critical and theoretical perspectives. It aims to fill a gap in game studies between general theory and analysis of particular genres and games.

Possible Topics

Here are some examples of relevant themes we wish to explore in this conference:

Historical approach

Origins and history of horror video games
Impact of the technological evolution on horror video games
Theoretical approach

Simulation of horror, fear, terror

Narratives and themes of horror video games
Interpretation of individual works and series
Transmedial approach

Transmedial study of horror video games (game/film/literature)

Remediation in films, literature and video games
Socio-cultural approach

Transnational analysis of horror video games (United States/Japan)

Social and cultural meanings of horror video games
Horror video games and censorship
Analytical approach

Aesthetics of horror video games (lighting, sound, editing, 1st/3rd person perspective)

Study of specific games or series (Alone in the Dark, Resident Evil, Fatal Frame, etc.)

The organizing committee remains open to proposals that respect the general spirit of this call for papers.

Please submit your proposals before January 15, 2009 via email to the following address: thinking.after.dark@ca.inter.net.

Your proposal must include:

1. The title of your paper and an abstract (no more that 500 words).
2. Your academic status, your institutional affiliation, your department and your contact information (mailing address, telephone number, fax number and e-mail address).
3. A short biography underlining your work related to the themes of the conference (no more than 250 words).

A selection of papers will be published in a special issue of Loading…, the journal of the Canadian Game Studies Association (CGSA).

———-

Looking forward to meeting you in Montréal next April,

The organizing committee.

Michigan State University is hosting an interdisciplinary conference from October 9-11 called Meaningful Play, exploring "the potential of games to entertain, inform, educate, and persuade in meaningful ways." They're seeking submissions from a pretty wide swath of people: "Submissions are sought from both researchers and practitioners in academia and industry. Graduate and advanced undergraduate students are also encouraged to submit either jointly with an academic/member of industry or alone." If you've got a paper you've been sitting on, or something that will be ready by 1 July (the submission deadline), full details are below the jump [via Water Cooler Games]:

Meaningful Play 2008, which takes place October 9-11, 2008, is an interdisciplinary academic conference that explores the potential of games to entertain, inform, educate, and persuade in meaningful ways. The conference includes thought-provoking keynotes from leaders in academia and industry, peer-reviewed paper presentations, panel sessions (including academic and industry discussions), innovative workshops, roundtable discussions, and exhibitions of games.

Submissions are sought from both researchers and practitioners in academia and industry. Graduate and advanced undergraduate students are also encouraged to submit either jointly with an academic/member of industry or alone.

While any topic related to games for entertainment and learning is appropriate to submit to Meaningful Play 2008, topics of particular interest include:

1) Exploring meaningful applications of games

* Games to change attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors (including social impact games and personal health games)
* Games to stimulate creativity or innovation
* Games to build social skills
* Games to advertise (advergames) and persuade
* Games to exercise specific cognitive functions
* Games to explore personal beliefs and help make decisions
* Games to build knowledge and skills (games for learning)
* Serious games for history and cultural heritage learning

2) Issues in designing meaningful play

* Game design for specific audience segments
* Player types and play styles
* Story and storytelling in games
* Competitve and cooperative play (single player, multiplayer and massively multiplayer)
* Balancing entertainment and serious goals
* Repurposing entertainment games for serious purposes
* Unintended and unexpected effects of games
* Using psychology and neuroscience to design and understand games
* Evaluation and assessment of game impacts
* Barriers to the adoption of serious game

Submission deadline is July 1, 2008.

Complete details on Meaningful Play 2008 are available at:
http://meaningfulplay.msu.edu

The fourth annual Games, Learning & Society (GLS) Conference will be held July 10-11, 2008 in Madison, Wisconsin. Sponsored by the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education and the Academic ADL Co-Lab, the GLS Conference fosters substantive discussion and collaboration among academics, designers, and educators interested in how game technologies - commercial games and others - can enhance learning, culture, and education. Speakers, discussion groups, and interactive workshops will focus on game design, game culture, and games' potential for learning.
For three years the GLS Conference has been the space for academics, industry leaders, educators, and policy makers to meet and to engage, not just in industry building, but in serious discussion about the current state of the field: where we ought to be headed, and what impact games can and ought to have on culture and society. We are planning the biggest and best year ever for this very important gathering, and we hope you will join us.

This two-day conference will be held at Frank Lloyd Wright's Monona Terrace Convention Center, overlooking downtown Madison's beautiful Lake Monona. Conference highlights include: a special session of hands-on workshops designed by and for videogame researchers and designers; a two-day lounge featuring Chat 'n' Frag sessions with key scholars and designers; fireside chats with industry leaders and special guests; a game room; webcasts of selected conference sessions; and our signature Thursday night dinner party.

We invite creative and interactive proposals for presentations, discussions, symposia, workshops, debates, respondents, and exhibits on topics and issues related to conference themes. To continue providing a high-quality program, all submissions will go through peer review and be evaluated with respect to quality, originality, clarity, and relevance to conference themes. Based on positive feedback from last year's conference, we especially encourage interactive session formats such as workshops, debates, and hands-on events for the GLS lounge.

Complete submission guidelines are listed inside the submissions site at http://glsconference.org. Submission format includes: Title; Abstract (500 words or less); Author name(s), picture(s), and short bio(s); and lastly, whether you would like your presentation to be considered for an interactive (workshop, chat 'n' frag, poster) or more expository (symposium, plenary) session. Submissions are due online by March 31, 2008.

CALL FOR PAPERS
Persuasive Technology 2008 will gather together people interested in how software and related technologies influence people's attitudes and behaviours. This conference will also feature the best new insights into how web sites, video games, and mobile phones and other applications can be designed to motivate and persuade people.

CONFERENCE AIMS
Until recently, most software applications have been developed without much thought to how they influence their users. This perspective is changing. Today persuasion matters more than ever. Now experts in industry and academics are embracing a purposeful approach to persuasive design. In an industry context, designing for persuasion is becoming essential for success. In academic settings, the study of persuasive technology illuminates the principles that influence and motivate people in different realms of life. This Persuasive 2008 Conference aims to place such work on a firm scientific footing with an emphasis on social and psychological issues as well as ethical awareness.

Persuasive technology is rapidly growing into a major discipline. The previous conferences held in Eindhoven and Stanford were infused with energetic spirit and a large attendance, with representatives from both academia and industry.

This year's conference will highlight new knowledge in the understanding and designing persuasive technology. The event will bring together researchers, practitioners, industry professionals interested in this important new field.

RESEARCH THEMES
Research themes of the conference include:
- Motivational technology
- Persuasive games
- Smart environments
- Web2.0
- Mobile persuasion
- Well-being and health behaviour
- Theory of persuasive technology
- Ethics of persuasive technology
- Social and organizational issues
- Business models for persuasive systems
- Conceptual and theoretical approaches

SUBMISSION CATEGORIES
Full paper: 12 pages in LNCS format
Short paper: 4 pages
Poster: 4 pages
Refer to www.persuasive2008.org for more detailed information on paper and poster submission guidelines.

KEY DATES
Paper submission: January 1, 2008
Author notification: February 8, 2008
Final version submission: March 8, 2008
Conference: June 4-6, 2008

DOCTORAL CONSORTIUM
A doctoral consortium will precede the conference (June 1-3, 2008). The application deadline is expected to be February 1, 2008.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Ian Bogost, Georgia Institute of Technology
B.J. Fogg, Stanford University
Kristina Höök, Stockholm University

The call for papers for the new, international, peer-reviewed online journal "Eludamos. Journal for Computer Game Culture" is now open. Submissions are expected to be in English and to include full papers plus abstracts. Please note that we can only consider papers which have not been previously published and which are not under consideration for another journal (or an explanation has been provided in Comments to the Editor). For further specificiation of submission guidelines please consult http://www.eludamos.org

The next issue is due to appear in February 2008. Submissions can be made throughout the year, however, articles for the February edition must be submitted by Dec. 15th 2007. Submissions that reach us after that date will be considered for the summer issue.

Interested in submitting to this journal? We recommend that you review the About the Journal page for the journal's section policies. Authors need to register with the journal prior to submitting, or if already registered can simply log in and begin the 5 step process.

The full first issue is up on their website, and is well worth a looksee if that's your sort of thing.

Eludamos: Journal For Computer Game Culture [via GrandTextAuto]