Vienna Games Conference
17-19th Octover, 2008
University of Vienna, Austria

Digital games have become a driving factor of contemporary cultural, social, and economic development. They are enablers of global cultural exchange and serve as entry points for media participation. However, the cultural, social and economic significance of games usually remains underestimated or misunderstood by the general public. In 2007, the City of Vienna decided to host 'Game City', a high profile event bringing together representatives of the games industry, non-profit orga nizations, academia and the general public for the discussion of the current state of computer games, digital youth cultures and games research. One key element of 'Game City' was the Vienna Games Conference, which had the objective of serving as a public information platform as well as an international networking event for game researchers of various disciplines. Due to the overwhelming success of this concept, the 'Game City' event and the Vienna Games Conference will be held again in the fall of 2008.

In October 2008, the Vienna Games Conference will address issues related to the 'Future and Reality of Gaming' (F.R.O.G.) sharing cutting edge research and insights on the future of the games industry, game design, game theory, game culture and education. The conference aims to facilitate the exchange of ideas and current research findings regarding innovative theories, concepts and practice models in an engaging and convivial atmosphere.

Game theory

• Trans-disciplinary methods in game research
• New frontiers in game studies: ludology/narratology post mortem?
• Border cases: transition from games/leisure to simulation/science

Game design and game industry

• Applied game studies: how game scholars and practitioners learn to listen to each other
• Innovative forms of gaming (e.g. Alternate Reality Games)
• Innovations in game design, development and production
• New forms of interactivity and revolutionary game interfaces
• The rise of independent gaming (e.g. casual games, art games)

Education and society

• New methods and theories for game-based learning
• Theory and practice of 'new media literacy'
• Possibilities and limitations of teaching through digital games
• The interrelation of games culture, politics and society

Consumption and appropriation

• Professionalization of gaming cultures (e.g. eSports)
• Community building: player generated content
• Games as a new mass culture
• Novel insights into game cultures

Paper submission:

Participation is encouraged from a wide range of disciplines including Education, Cognitive Psychology, Computer Science, Cultural Anthropology, Arts (e.g. fine arts), Human-Computer Interaction, Media and Communication Studies, Philosophy and Social Science. Interested authors are requested to submit an extended abstract of approximately 1500 to 2000 words due 28th of March 2008 exclusively as email attachments (doc-files or rtf-files).

All abstracts will be reviewed and judged on originality, quality and relevance to the conference. All accepted papers will be published and accessible as an open access publication by the Vienna University Library (October 2008). In a second review-process suitable papers will be selected for an additional publication in printed proceedings (spring 2009).

Important dates:

• Abstract submission: 28th of March 2008
• Notification: 25th of April 2008
• Full paper: 03rd of October 2008
• Conference: 17th-19th of October 2008

Registration for the conference:

• Early Bird: 25.04. - 26.06.2008
• Registration: 27.06. - 19.10.2008

Conference Fee:

Early Bird: €150,- participation fee €50,- participation fee for students and staff members of youth organisations
Regular Registration: €180,- praticipation fee  €65,- participation fee for students and staff members of youth organisations

More information can be found at http://www.bupp.at/frog