Participants are being sought for paper sessions on Gaming Theory and Culture for the 30th Annual International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts.
The focus of ICFA 30 is on time and the fantastic, and while papers relating to this theme are welcome, proposals on any topics related to this call will be considered. The conference will be held in Orlando, Florida, from March 18 – 22, 2009 at the Orlando Airport Marriott Hotel. For more information and updates about the conference, please visit www.iafa.org.
Your proposal should focus on games based on fantasy or science fiction, or horror premises, including (but not limited to) media tie-ins, for any electronic platform as well as online games (even ones that are mostly text based, e.g., MUSHes, etc.). table-top games, card games, pen-and-paper games. Possible topics include (but are not limited to) the following topics:
Virtual environments and bodies Gaming communities Avatars Performance Role-playing Narrative structure and strategy Online gaming The economics of gaming Game-specific language, how communication evolves for and out of the medium Immersion Gaming psychology Differences in gamer engagement with game based on medium (e.g., table top, visual online, textual online, etc.) Games and learning Game genres and series Representations of self/identity in online games, MUSHes, etc. Gender and sexuality in games/gaming
If you are interesting in submitting a paper, proposals should include a 500-word abstract and appropriate bibliography indicating the project’s scholarly or theoretical context. Be sure to include current/working contact information (snailmail AND email addresses). Also note whether your presentation would require audio-visual equipment. Please email proposals as rich text (.rtf), PDF (.pdf), or Word document (.doc) formats. If you use Word 2007, please save your document as a .doc file, not a .docx file.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Barbara Lucas, Division Head Community and Culture in the Fantastic Division barbedwriting@yahoo.com
The deadline for submissions is October 31, 2008. However, proposals will be reviewed and accepted as they are received.
We encourage work from institutionally-affiliated scholars, independent scholars, international scholars who work in languages other than English, graduate students, and undergraduate students.
Barbara Lucas
Community and Culture in the Fantastic Division
Email: barbedwriting@yahoo.com
Visit the website at http://www.iafa.org
