[Commlist] IJFMA Vol. 11 No. 2 (2026) Open Call

Aesthetic Strategies for Purpose-Driven Play - Open Call for Paper IJFMA 
Vol. 11 No. 2 (2026)

The application of digital play has extended beyond mere entertainment. 
The experiential attributes that make games engaging, such as feedback 
loops, embodied interactions, audio-visual cues, and narrative 
structures, are now being utilized to train surgeons, encourage climate 
action, support language learning, and tailor wellness interventions. 
However, the aesthetic aspects of these interactions are frequently 
regarded as superficial enhancements rather than fundamental components 
that drive engagement, learning, and adaptive intelligence.

This special issue invites research that treats aesthetics as a design 
variable in serious games, interactive installations, and adaptive 
socio-technical systems. Aesthetics is defined broadly: it includes 
audio-visual form, but also the qualities of interaction that influence 
perception and emotion. Examples can include the pressure profile for 
rehabilitation (e.g. interactive pressure sensitivity or movement 
choreography), the tactile alignment of a tangible puzzle piece in mixed 
reality, the breathing-like vibration of a wearable synchronized with 
virtual visual feedback, or the timing of dialogue and interaction with 
a conversation agent. These sensorial and temporal decisions affect how 
users interpret and benefit from purposeful experiences.

This issue will be developed in collaboration with guest editors Micaela 
Fonseca and Phil Lopes from Lusófona University. We invite contributions 
that explore how form, sensation, and meaning interact with functional 
objectives, and how aesthetic strategies—including minimalist feedback, 
diegetic interfaces, procedural rhetoric, and affective audio—influence 
cognition, emotion, and behaviour.

The International Journal of Film and Media Arts invites filmmakers, 
artists, and researchers to submit papers addressing, but not limited 
to, the following topics:

Models of ludic aesthetics for behaviour change, training, or therapy
Studies linking aesthetic features to engagement, skill transfer, or 
retention
Adaptive systems that adjust aesthetics in real time using biosignals or 
user models
Design reflections from XR, wearable, ambient, or multimodal projects
Ethical and cultural questions raised by persuasive aesthetic techniques
Methods for analysing and evaluating aesthetic qualities in interactive 
workWe welcome original research articles, design-practice reports, 
ethnographic studies, and forward-looking perspectives that expand the 
understanding of the interplay between "serious" and "playful" elements. 
By examining the integration of interactive and visual aesthetics for 
purposeful outcomes, this issue aims to establish new ground in HCI, 
game studies, cognitive science, and creative technology—paving the way 
for a future where aesthetics actively contribute to the development of 
adaptive, meaningful, and humane systems.

Keywords: Ludic Aesthetics, Serious Games, Adaptive Interactive Systems, 
Digital Games, Digital Play, HCI, XR Play Experiences, Evaluation 
Methods for Playful Systems

Full papers to be submitted by 2nd February 2026.
Provide two Word documents (.doc) with:
1. Full Paper (Abstract, Keywords, Article and References).

The manuscript should not have any reference to the authors or the 
institution they belong to. The authors must ensure that their 
manuscripts are prepared in such a way that they do not reveal their 
identities to reviewers, either directly or indirectly.

2. BIO, no longer than 50/70 words. Name, Email address and 
institutional affiliation.

Please submit to:
https://revistas.ulusofona.pt/index.php/ijfma/about/submissions 
<https://revistas.ulusofona.pt/index.php/ijfma/about/submissions>

When submitting full papers, authors must include a comment indicating 
the specific open call they are responding to. Please note that 
submissions received after the deadline will not be considered.

Schedule for publication:
Submission of full paper: 2nd February 2026
Feedback on full papers: April 2026
Final revisions: July 2026
Publication date: October 2026

Submissions must be made anonymously. All submissions will undergo a 
blind peer review process and will be evaluated by at least two reviewers.

No fees are requested for submission or processing.


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