[ecrea] Call for book chapters--Pokemon Go

Seeking Essays on Pokémon Go

In July of 2016, Niantic Inc. released Pokémon Go in the United States 
to unanticipated public interest. In one of the hottest summers on 
record, millions took to the streets to search for charmanders and 
dragonites, overwhelming both servers and public spaces. While interest 
in the mobile application has subsided, Pokémon Go remains a cultural 
artifact that demands further analysis. Opening conversations on public 
and civic rhetorics through play, the phenomenon of this simple game 
exposes critical intersections of race, gender, ability, and class as 
technological concerns over access, privacy, and privilege.

Although other works of augmented reality have similarly blurred the 
boundaries between electronic and physical spaces, none has done so with 
the widespread adoption of Pokémon Go. Where the game catalyzes these 
spaces of hybridity, an underexamined exigency is revealed. At this 
intersection between cultural forces, multiple questions emerge: What 
impact does augmented reality have on “real” space? How do AR games help 
or hinder the development of communities? How are these AR spaces 
developed? What public spaces are privileged? Which are ignored?

This collection hopes to assemble a variety of perspectives that capture 
social and political rhetorics via mobile play. In addition to 
discussions of interface and user experience, we invite scholarly 
examinations of the game’s signi cance. Several publishers have 
expressed interest in the collection though we currently have an offer 
to contract with McFarland.

At this point we are accepting 400-500 word abstracts that should be 
turned into (pokemongoessays /at/ gmail.com) <mailto:(pokemongoessays /at/ gmail.com)> 
by midnight on August 13th. Decisions and feedback will be given by 
October 31.

Topics that might t this collection include:

● Pokémon Go’s precursors
● Pokémon Go’s legacy
● Pokémon Go and access
● Public play and its intersections with gender, race, and class ● 
Public play as frivolous

● Pokémon Go and place-based rhetorics ● Pokémon Go and Urban Planning
● Augmented reality and community
● Legal issues and legislation

● Pokémon Go and surveillance

Our timeline anticipates a Fall 2018 publication date and is organized 
around the following guideposts:

● Call for proposals: June 2017
● Receive abstracts (400-500 words): August 13, 2017
● Review and response to authors: October 31, 2017
● Submissions deadline: January 28, 2018
● Feedback due: March 25, 2018
● Revision due: June 3, 2018
● Production cycle (pending publisher): begins February 2018 ● Publish: 
August 2018

Thanks for your interest and we look forward to working with you!

Sincerely,
Dr. Jamie Henthorn, Catawba College

Andrew Kulak, Virginia Tech

Kristopher Purzycki, UW-Milwaukee

Dr. Stephanie Vie,University of Central Florida


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