Guest Editors:
Kelly Bergstrom (York University, Canada)
Marcus Carter (The University of Sydney, Australia)
The Journal of Virtual Worlds Research (JVWR)(http://www.jvwresearch.org/) is an online, open access academic journal that engages a wide spectrum of scholarship. We welcome contributions from the many disciplines and approaches that intersect with virtual worlds’ research.
Breaking Conventions
EVE Online (EVE) — the space-themed massively multiplayer game released in 2003 by CCP Games — is a game with a reputation. Sometimes referred to as “Excel Online”, EVE has also become known as a game with a brutal learning cliff that is hostile to newcomers. And yet, it is also home to vibrant community of long term, dedicated players. In a number of important ways, EVE breaks from the conventions of the MMOG genre such as its single shard server, permanent death, robust in-game economy, and pervasive treachery. As a result, much of the research on other MMOGs is not necessarily applicable to this gameworld.
Motivation and Scope
For much of EVE’s history it has received little academic attention. Recent publications, including Internet Spaceships Are Serious Business (University of Minnesota Press, 2016), have only just begun to scratch the surface of EVE. This special issue of Journal of Virtual Worlds Research will serve as a collection of recent investigations into this MMOG and its community of players. Researchers currently working on EVE-related projects are invited to contribute to this special issue, to be published in Q4 2017.
Suggested topics include but are not limited to:
- The EVE metagame(s)
- The history of EVE and/or CCP Games
- EVE Online player communities
- EVE’s avatar creation tools
- Conflict and collaboration
- “Fun” or “play” in EVE
- EVE’s economy and/or its black/grey markets
- Methods for studying EVE
- Lessons from EVE
Authors are requested to submit an abstract of their proposed paper by May 15, 2017. Abstracts should be no longer than 500 words (references are not included in this word count). We welcome papers from a variety of disciplines and methodologies, and encourage graduate students to submit their research to this special issue. The guest editors are happy to discuss proposals for contributions, please contact Kelly Bergstrom at kellybergstrom AT gmail.com for questions prior to submission.
We are also open to alternative formats and shorter pieces such as “tales from the trenches” written from the perspective of players. Please contact the guest editors to discuss ideas for alternative submissions in advance of the abstract deadline.
Submission Instructions
Interested authors should submit a 500 word abstract by the deadline indicated below. After review by the guest editors, authors will be invited to submit original scholarly papers of up to 5000 words including footnotes, references, and appendices. Longer papers are optional and should be discussed with the issue editors. All submissions (abstracts and papers) should be made via the JVWR publishing system (see www.jvwreserach.org > About JVWR > For Authors). Accepted papers will be published online in the Volume 10, Number 4 (2017) of the Journal.
Deadlines and Timeline
May 15, 2017 – Authors submit abstracts
May 30, 2017 – Editors return comments on abstracts
July 1, 2017 – Authors submit full papers
September 1, 2017 – Review & initial decisions
October 1, 2017 – Authors submit revised papers
November 1, 2017 – Final comments and decisions
November 30, 2017 – Authors submit final versions
December 31, 2017 – Publication
Review Process:
Abstracts will be considered by the guest editors.
Full papers will be reviewed by expert referees using the JVWR double-open policy. Double-open policy means that in general, authors do not need to anonymize their papers, and reviewers’ identity is also known to authors. For more details about see JVWR site –> About JVWR –> For Authors –> Our double-Open Policy.
Further Information
Please contact: info@jvwresearch.org
