CFP: Nordic Game 2006

Nordic Game 2006 – Research Program – Open Call

Call for presenters for an academic symposium “Understanding the Player” at
Nordic Game 2006. 19-20 September. Malmö, Sweden.

After two years under the banner Nordic Game Potential, the Nordic region’s
premier game industry event is now simply known as Nordic Game. The event will
feature programs for research, development, public interest, distribution and
retail, as well as a business marketplace. This year the academic track has been
extended and will include keynotes from Julian Dibbell and Mary Flanagan. More
information about the event is available at: http://nordicgame.com/

We hope to bring together the most interesting and exciting researchers, not
only from the Nordic region but from around the globe, to focus on this year’s
theme: “Understanding the Player.” We are counting on your help to make this
happen.

Our aim is to put together a line-up of speakers that reflects the breadth and
depth of what understanding players entails in terms of research. Everything
from ethnographic studies of gamers in their “natural habitats” to experimental
studies of the player fit the theme. When we try to define what games are within
the field of game studies, there is a tendency to do so from a formal
perspective, putting such things as rules and winning conditions in focus, and
leaving the actual players of the games lurking in the shadows, only implied
through words like effort or attachment. Players, and the social and cultural
aspects of games, are often represented but rarely made the focal point.
Meanwhile, in the game industry, interest in the player is increasing. Just as
software developers have realized that their products need to be user-centered,
game developers are showing an increasing desire to understand how, why, and
where people play games.

The academic symposium at Nordic Game 2006 will consist of eight 30 minute
presentations running over the two days. If you would like to give a
presentation, we ask that you write an abstract outlining your talk and send it
to Mikael Jakobsson, chair of the academic symposium program committee. The
planning is already well on its way, so we would like to ask you to submit your
abstracts as soon as possible to increase your chances to be selected for
participation. Send title and abstract outlining the talk (max 500 words) to the
following e-mail by August 15th at the latest: mikael.jakobsson@k3.mah.se

Abstracts received will be reviewed by the academic symposium program committee
consisting of: Mikael Jakobsson, Associate Professor. Malmö University (chair),
Simon Niedenthal, Associate Professor. Malmö University, and T.L. Taylor,
Associate Professor. IT University of Copenhagen. The selected presenters will
be given free access to the entire event.

———-
mail: Mikael Jakobsson, Malmö University, Arts & Communication, SE-205 06 Malmö
e-mail: mikael.jakobsson@k3.mah.se
phone: +46 (0)40 6657231
fax: +46 (0)40 6657360
WWW: http://www.informatik.umu.se/~mjson/

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