The 2027 DiGRA conference theme is Roots and Routes: Place, Belonging, and Game
Worlds. This theme explores how games are shaped by — and in turn shape — the places,
histories, and communities that produce them. Roots and Routes speaks to the dual nature
of connection and movement: to being grounded in a landscape, culture, or whakapapa,
while also tracing the routes that ideas, people, and technologies travel through the world
of play.
Roots and Routes: Place, Belonging, and Game Worlds invites dialogue on how place-
based storytelling, indigenous design philosophies, and local cultural memory can expand our understanding of what game worlds are and whom they serve. From the grounding of
gameplay in environmental storytelling to the ways digital worlds reimagine belonging and
displacement, this theme connects geography, identity, and narrative across disciplines.
In Aotearoa New Zealand, where creative practice is deeply informed by whenua (land),
whakapapa (genealogy), and kaitiakitanga (guardianship), the theme offers an
opportunity to foreground indigenous and regional perspectives on games and play
(digital, analogue, and hybrid). It encourages critical and creative engagement with the
land — not just as backdrop or setting, but as an active participant in how games are
made, experienced, and remembered. We welcome interdisciplinary submissions across
multiple fields. PhD students are encouraged to apply, as the conference will include a
dedicated PhD consortium that offers opportunities to develop research skills that will help
emerging scholars achieve their academic goals.
Wellington and Massey
DiGRA will be held at Massey University’s Pōneke (Wellington) campus, New Zealand, from
30th August – 3rd September 2027. Perched on the water’s edge and surrounded by nature,
Wellington is a compact, walkable city with a brilliant array of accommodation and the
highest ratio of coffee shops per capita! Aotearoa has a vibrant game development
ecosystem and a thriving game and play research community, but what distinguishes it is
how storytelling, environment, and cultural identity are woven together through playful
interventions.
The conference is hosted by Toi Rauwhārangi, the College of Creative Arts at Massey
University. Toi Rauwhārangi is New Zealand’s oldest and most comprehensive creative arts
school, celebrating 140 years of Design. The DiGRA conference will be held at Te Ara Hihiko
and Tokomaru venues on campus, blending the historic and the new adjacent to Pukeahu
Memorial Park and gardens, in the heart of Wellington.
The local organising committee includes Dr Tanya Marriott (Concept Design, School of
Design), Dr Johnson Witehira, Jeremy Cameron (Game Design, School of Music and Screen
Arts), and Shaun Garea (School of Psychology).
Potential full paper, abstract, workshop and exhibition topics include:
● Games as forms of place-making and cultural mapping
● Environmental and ecological design practices
● Games and human rights
● Memory, heritage, and digital preservation in games
● Indigenous game development and relational design
● Locating identity and belonging through play
● The relationship between toys and games
● Performative media in games
● Games, inclusion, exclusion
● Indigenous games praxis
● Materiality, digital, analogue, and hybrid games
● Audio for games
● Emergent storytelling and emergent communication
● Spatial presence and Immersion
● Addictive mechanics/gambling and responsible design
● Games as unique delivery systems for new or challenging ideas
The submissions are invited into seven tracks:
● Philosophy and Theory of Play & Games: theoretical frameworks and investigations
of games and play phenomena as well as meta-reflection on game studies
methods and practices.
● Game Analyses, Criticism, and Interpretation: analyses, close-readings, and critical
discussions of game texts.
● Game History and Cultural Context: explorations of game histories, contemporary
game cultures and regional game studies.
● Play and Players: empirical research on play and playful behaviour, players,
fandom, and game communities.
● Game Design, Production, and Distribution: reflections on making and research
creation, production and design processes, and the games market.
● Serious Games and Education: research on games and play for learning, education,
and therapy, and other applications beyond game studies.
● Analogue Games: research on any form of analogue games, including but not
limited to board games, card games, analogue roleplay games, and other forms not
traditionally contemplated in digital game studies.
Submission Guidelines
We welcome a range of contributions to DiGRA 2027: full papers, extended abstracts,
doctoral consortium participation, workshops, posters, and exhibition proposals.
Full papers and extended abstracts will be peer-reviewed, published on the conference
website, and included in the conference proceedings, available via open access through the
DiGRA Digital Library: http://www.digra.org/digital-library. Workshop, Exhibition and Poster
proposals will be selected by the conference organisers based on non-anonymous
submissions.
All submissions except workshop, exhibition and poster proposals should be made via
EasyChair. Please ensure that you make your submission to the correct format sub-track
on EasyChair – there are dedicated sub-tracks for abstracts or full papers under each of
the seven thematic tracks. Please note that if you submit an abstract or full paper, the
expectation is that you may also be asked to contribute to reviewing submissions.
Workshop, Exhibition and Poster proposals should be submitted using the forms below.
For Extended Abstracts and Full Papers, there will be a limited opportunity to appeal peer
review outcomes, closing two weeks after notifications are released. Further detail on the
criteria and process for appeals will be included in peer review outcome notifications.
Submission Types
Full Paper
Full papers are expected to be 5000–7000 words plus references, submitted as an
anonymised PDF on the DiGRA Submission Template. Submissions must be original, which
means that they have not been published or are not under peer review elsewhere. Full
papers are peer-reviewed publications of original game studies research and present
mature, complete research. Authors must present accepted full papers at the DiGRA
conference. Accepted manuscripts will appear in the Proceedings of the 2027 DiGRA
International Conference, which is published in the open access DiGRA Digital Library.
Extended Abstract
The suggested length for an extended abstract is 500–800 words, with a maximum of 1000
words, excluding references (only key references should be included), submitted as an
anonymised PDF using the DiGRA Submission Template. Give a short description in the
abstract field of the conference management system, but there is no need for extended
abstracts to contain an abstract.
The purpose of an extended abstract is to demonstrate a contribution interesting to DiGRA
audiences. An extended abstract might describe a study or research program that is
underway, but might also describe a pending program of research. It might outline
findings, or it might establish and discuss a research question. It might describe the study’s
method or methodology, or it might focus on outcomes and results. It might describe work
that is planned, work that is in progress, or work that has been completed.
Accepted extended abstracts will appear in the open access DiGRA Digital Library.
PhD Track Submission
Selection for the PhD consortium will be based on an extended abstract based on an
ongoing PhD research project, with a maximum of 1000 words, excluding references (see
Extended Abstract guidelines above). They should be submitted to the PhD Consortium
track, as a non-anonymised PDF, with a short description in the abstract field of the
conference management system (there is no need for a doctoral consortium application to
have an abstract).
Submissions must use the DiGRA 2027 submission template and be submitted through
EasyChair (https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=digra2027) by 16th March 2027.
Early Career and Precarious Researchers Showcase
For the early career and researchers in precarious positions showcase, we invite concise
proposals of no more than 1000 words (excluding bibliography). This should include a
description of recent work that you wish to highlight, how you would like it
presented/displayed/shown and in what format, as well as the context of your position as
a precarious or early career researcher and how being included in the showcase would
benefit it. Please note that submissions should not be anonymous, as authors’ backgrounds
are important in the decision-making process for the Early Career Researchers in
Precarious Positions Showcase.
Showcase proposals should be submitted using the form below by 16th March 2027.
https://forms.gle/GU73MdDsaMKggdDMA
Workshops
Conference workshops are three- to six-hour sessions focused on a particular game-related topic. Workshops provide an opportunity for new ideas, theories and trends to be presented and discussed. Workshops can also be practical tutorials.
Concise workshop proposals of no more than 1000 words (excluding bibliography) should
include major objectives and expected outcomes of the workshop, the justification for the workshop informed by current trends and research, the format and activities planned for
the workshop, the organisers’ background, the anticipated number of participants and the
way they will be selected. Please note that the submission should not be anonymous, as the
organisers’ background is very important in the decision-making process for workshops.
Workshops can be open to participant submissions (the standard model) or by invitation
only, replacing the old panel format. The proposal should specify if participants can apply
or the list of speakers/participants is set, as in the old panels.
Workshops should be hybrid, so both in-person and virtual attendees can participate. We
can help you with options to facilitate this.
Submit workshop proposals using the form below by 16th March 2027.
https://forms.gle/CtRFo7aCVR4tj7TEA
Exhibition
Exhibited works can include playable games using tangible, digital, or emergent
technology. Game prototypes and Game design and aesthetic explorations. Exhibited
works provide an opportunity to present research through creative practice.
Concise exhibition proposals of no more than 1000 words (excluding bibliography) should
include an overview of the exhibited work, a justification for the exhibited work informed by
current trends and research, the organisers’ background, a visual description of the
exhibited works, and, where relevant, a floor plan and technical requirements. Please note
that submissions should not be anonymous, as exhibitors’ backgrounds are important in
the decision-making process for exhibitions.
Submit Exhibition proposals using the form below by 16th March 2027.
https://forms.gle/gre5zWvhb675GVeC6
Posters
Posters are 2D displays with high visual interest presented during a 90-minute regular
session. Poster presenters are expected to be at their poster throughout the session to
interact with and address questions from interested conference attendees. The suggested
length for a poster abstract is 400 words. The abstract must include a brief introduction or
purpose statement, and a concise description of the methodology/inquiry approach, the
data and results, discussion, and conclusion.
Posters should be submitted as a non-anonymised PDF.
Submit Poster proposals using the form below by 16th March 2027.
https://forms.gle/JozNxiutMNwzSAGu8
Number of submissions per author
Authors cannot submit more than two papers and/or extended abstracts to DiGRA 2027,
including PhD Consortium submissions. An individual can be a co-author on as many full
papers and extended abstracts as they like but cannot submit more than two as main
author/presenter. If the limit is exceeded, only the first two submissions will be reviewed.
The limit does not include participation in workshops, exhibitions and posters.
DiGRA Solidarity Fund
We are pleased to announce the return of the DiGRA Solidarity Fund. The fund provides
students and early-career researchers without institutional support for international travel
with the means to attend DiGRA International events and present their work. Applicants
living in Low-Income or Lower-middle-income countries (according to World Bank
Classification) will be prioritised. You can apply for one of two (1500 euro) in-person travel
grants or 1 of 5 online participation grants.
Important Dates
● Full papers and abstracts submission open: 31st October 2026
● Full papers and abstracts submission deadline: 29th January 2027 – Anywhere on
Earth
● Early Career and Researchers in Precarious Positions Showcase: 16th March 2027
● PhD Track Submission: 16th March 2027
● Workshop, Posters, and exhibition proposal submission deadline: 16th March
2027
● Announcement of peer review results: 16th April 2027
● Early bird registration opens: 16th April 2027
● Workshop, Posters, and exhibition proposal acceptance notifications: 24th March
2027
● Early bird registration closes: 4th June 2027
● Registration deadline for presenters: 25th July 2027
● Camera-ready submission and registration deadline: 3rd August 2027
● Conference dates: 30th August – 3rd September 2027
EasyChair submission link
https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=digra2027
