[ecrea] CFP "Beyond the Pixels: A Look at Digital Games" Pre-Conference to the 65th ICA Annual Conference, San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA

Beyond the Pixels: A Look at Digital Games

Pre-Conference to the 65th International Communication Association (ICA) 
Annual Conference, San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA

21 May 2015


Call for Participation

Digital games have complicated notions of what a body is and what it 
means during and apart from play. Both digital and physical
bodies are understood to influence - or be influenced by - gameplay 
experiences according to their unique traits, states, abilities,
materialities, and governing systems. In gamespaces, digital bodies may 
be considered both as signifiers and agents of players'
intention and as independent entities functioning according to their 
inherent design. On the other side of the interface, physical
bodies may be considered both as manipulators of game content and as 
being influenced by game events that they help create. In many
ways, these interplays between digital and physical bodies are central 
to notions of play.

The goal of this pre-conference is to shed light on the natures, 
functions, and interplays of digital and physical bodies in games,
and how bodies are engaged in and influenced by play. "Bodies," for 
purposes of this event, are broadly defined, including textual,
visual, logical, and physical manifestations of players or their agents. 
As the main conference theme is "Communication Across the
Life Span," contributors are encouraged to consider gaming bodies as 
they evolve over stages of life and play.

In the interest of fostering lively discussion and synthesis of 
scholarship, the pre-conference welcomes abstracts for research from
various theoretical, methodological, and disciplinary backgrounds. 
Possible pre-conference topics related to gaming bodies include
(but are not restricted to):

- Traits: anthropomorphism, abstraction, aesthetics, mechanics, 
materialities
- Social interaction: co-present bodies, intimacies
- Effects: violence against bodies, bodily effects of VR and AI
- Space/movement: proxemics, gestures, spatiality
- Interplays: shifts or synergies in identities, agencies, narratives, 
awareness
- Embodiment: representations, performance, pleasure
- Cultures: norms, assumptions, privileges and legitimacy
- Body-mind issues: neuroscientific/psychological responses rooted in 
biological functions
- Interfaces: wearable/embeddable controls, quantified self, natural mapping
- Applications: bodies in serious/ed games, health (e.g., exercise, 
aging), motor learning
- Industry topics: body-driven game design challenges, monetization of 
the body
- The role of the body in serious/educational games
- Methodological challenges: measuring body states or movements, 
manipulating avatars

Proposals may be submitted to four categories: translational 
brainstorming questions, research reports, posters, and game demos.
Research reports and posters will undergo double-blind review by 
volunteers, and will be evaluated for a) fit with the
pre-conference theme of 'Gaming Bodies,' b) quality of theory methods, 
c) theoretical and/or empirical contributions. Translational
questions and game demos will be chosen by the pre-conference committee, 
after evaluating for theme fit and other criteria outlined
below.

Submission opportunity 1: Translational brainstorming questions

The translational brainstorming session is intended to jump-start the 
preconference by talking about notions of bodies and why they
matter to games and gaming, even for games scholars that do not 
specifically attend to issues of embodiment. In particular, we will
invite three scholars to cooperatively lead a discussion, and each will 
pose a provocative question to debate. One question will
focus on digital bodies, one on physical bodies, and one on the 
intersections of the two.

Anyone interested in posing a question and facilitating its 
consideration is invited to submit a ~500-word abstract that includes
the following: a) the question to be posed; b) the rationale for posing 
that question; and c) anticipated discussion outcomes. The
submission should also indicate which of the three categories the 
question should be programmed as addressing (the physical body,
the digital body, intersections of digital and physical bodies).

These submissions do not need to be blinded for review.

Submission opportunity 2: Research report (extended abstract)

The research report sessions will be traditional paper sessions, 
programmed into one of three tentative themes: the physical body,
the digital body, intersections of digital and physical bodies. Note 
that these themes may shift, depending on the nature of
submitted/accepted abstracts.

Anyone interested in presenting a research report at the pre-conference 
is invited to submit an extended abstract of 1000-1500 words
in APA 6th style.

These submission should be blinded for review.

Submission opportunity 3: Research report (poster)

Anyone interested in presenting a poster at the pre-conference is 
invited to submit in one of two formats:

Option 1: An extended abstract of 1000-1500 words in APA 6th style.

Option 2: A draft of the poster, in pdf form. Please ensure that the 
text and graphics are of a legible size and quality.

These submission should be blinded for review.

Submission opportunity 4: Game demo

The purpose of the game demonstrations is to experience and reflect on 
the many ways that digital and physical bodies are engaged in
gameplay.  Game demonstrations should include a live, playable game, and 
demonstrators should be prepared to offer a thesis about
how bodies are engaged in the game and why that engagement matters, to 
answer questions about that thesis, and to offer assistance
with gameplay. All game genres, platforms, and subject matter are 
welcomed, so long as the 'Gaming Bodies' theme is addressed.

Anyone interested in demonstrating a game is invited to submit a 
~500-word abstract that includes the following: a) the name of game
to be demonstrated, and a brief description of gameplay and aesthetic b) 
a statement of the themed thesis and supporting points, and
c) anticipated outcomes of the demonstration. Demonstrators should be 
prepared to bring, set up, and monitor their own game(s) and
device(s).

These submissions do not need to be blinded for review.

Submission details:

To submit, please e-mail a PDF of your submission as an attachment to 
Jaime Banks at (jabanks /at/ mail.wvu.edu).

All submissions must be received by 11:59pm Eastern U.S. time (GMT-5:00) 
on December 1, 2014. The abstracts/posters will be subject
to a double blind peer review process, therefore all identifying author 
information should be removed from the submission content
and properties. When submitting an abstract or poster proposal, please 
also include a separate cover page including your name(s),
department/organization(s), and e-mail address(es). The translation 
questions and game demo proposals will be chosen by the
pre-conference committee and do not require removal of identifying 
information. Notification of acceptance will be sent by February
1, 2015.

The extended abstracts and posters submitted for the pre-conference 
should not have been submitted to any other competitions in the
ICA's main conference or any other venue, nor should they be materially 
similar to any paper under consideration by any such venue.
The pre-conference submissions will be refereed and programmed 
separately from ICA's main conference.

All those who are accepted to present their extended abstract should 
register for the ICA pre-conference by March 13, 2015. The
registration fee will be $50.

A note about location and transportation:

Please be aware that this preconference will be held outside of the 
conference hotels, at a local university campus. In order to
address possible concerns about safety of traveling among various 
locations in San Juan, we have arranged for a shuttle bus to
transport attendees from the two conference hotels to the preconference 
location at a local university. This transportation will be
provided for free to registered attendees. Because of this you will need 
to be at each hotel's meeting point promptly to catch the
shuttle (exact time and location to be announced to registrants). 
Unfortunately, if you miss the shuttle you will have to arrange
for your own cab ride to the campus.

Questions?

Please direct any questions or concerns to:

Jaime Banks, West Virginia University - (jabanks /at/ mail.wvu.edu) - @amperjay

About ICA and the Game Studies Interest Group

ICA is an academic association for scholars interested in the study, 
teaching, and application of all aspects of human and mediated
communication. ICA began more than 50 years ago as a small association 
of U.S. researchers and is now a truly international
association with more than 4,500 members in 80 countries. Since 2003, 
ICA has been officially associated with the United Nations as
a non-governmental association (NGO). More information on ICA can be 
found at www.icahdq.org/.

The Game Studiesl interest group has been a platform for scholars 
worldwide specializing in rigorous research on digital games and
gaming as a new form of media since 2006. More information on the ICA 
Game Studies Special Interest Group can be found at
http://icagames.org



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