[Commlist] Call for Participants: The Present and Future of History and Games

*_Call for Participants_*

*_The Present and Future of History and Games_*

**

*Institute of Advanced Study, University of Warwick, UK*

*28^th February 2020*

An interdisciplinary symposium that invites academics, teachers and 
practitioners at all levels to explore the intersection of history and 
games, and to discuss methods for future research, teaching, and practice.

While major video game franchises like /Battlefield, Assassin’s Creed, 
/and /Red Dead Redemption /are often in the spotlight, digital and 
non-digital games have for decades been exploring, interrogating, 
reinterpreting, and representing the past, and offering gameplay 
experiences underpinned by deliberately historical and culturally 
conscious narratives and worlds. Cross-media marketing campaigns that 
support the release of major titles stake claims for “authenticity” and 
“realism”, while other kinds of games explore and attempt to represent 
long-“othered” historical events, periods, processes and people that are 
not necessarily white or male. While World Wars and the “U.S.” of 
America take up much space in the video game industry, how are global 
and regional histories and perspectives beyond this represented? What 
purpose do counterfactuals or alternate histories serve for designers 
and/or players?

Meanwhile, there is an ever-growing body of academic research and 
popular criticism at the intersection of history and games. What 
directions might this research take in future, and how can we ensure 
that we are able to continue studying games and game-related ephemera? 
There is also increasing interest from students across disciplines and 
programmes wanting to study history and games. How do we approach this 
pedagogically?

Through panels, roundtable discussions, and networking sessions, 
participants are invited to explore the current state of research, 
practice, and teaching in this broadly-defined area, and the future 
directions that require consideration.

Proposals are invited for either *1) 15-minute research papers or other 
types of creative presentations, or 2) roundtables and/or topics for 
discussion*. Both types of proposal should address (or subvert) *one or 
more of the following key areas*:

 1. *Current Research and Future Directions*: How do digital and
    non-digital games shed light on or complicate the study of cultural,
    social, and/or political history, heritage, archaeology and more?
    What areas require further scholarly attention?
 2. *Player studies*: How do players understand or challenge history
    through their experience of playing games?
 3. *Game Design*: How might game design practices be used to
    interrogate history and represent the past? What are the challenges
    of doing so?
 4. *Teaching and Pedagogy*: How can games be used to engage and teach
    students?
 5. *Future-proofing*: What steps need to be taken to ensure that the
    source material we need to continue studying the history in /and /of
    games is accessible and preserved?

Please submit proposals (max. 300 words) and brief bio(s) to 
esther.wright [at] warwick.ac.uk by 17^th November 2019.

Participants will be notified of decisions by early December 2019.


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