The aim of this conference is to take a deeper look at the various forms of human interaction in digital games. Researchers from a variety of disciplines interested in social interaction in games are welcome, including (but not limited to) the fields of communication research, media studies, sociology, psychology, education studies, and economics.
multi.player 2
Compete – Cooperate – Communicate
International conference on the social aspects of digital gaming
Date: Thursday, 14. August – Friday, 15. August 2014
Venue: Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität (WWU) Münster, Germany
Jointly organized by:
- ECREA (European Communication Research and Education Association) Working Group „Digital Games Research“
- ERC (European Research Council) research group „The social fabric of virtual life“ at the University Münster
In the last decade, there has been an increase in ‘social’ multiplayer gaming activities, including rises in co-located gaming and online gaming. This increase in multiplayer gaming has led to a range of new research evaluating the sociality of virtual worlds, massively multiplayer role-playing games (MMORPGs), multiplayer shooters, e-sports, and cooperation in party oriented console gaming. However, despite the growth in the field over the few years, many aspects of social gaming still remain largely unexplored.
Building from the topics of discussion generated at multi.player in 2011, proposals are now being sought for the multi.player 2 conference to be held at the University of Münster (Germany) in August 2014. This is the follow-up conference to the 2011 multi.player conference, organized by ECREA’s temporary working group on Digital Games Research.
Topics
Potential topics of interest for multi.player 2 include, but are not limited to:
- Theoretical and empirical approaches to social interaction in digital games
- Forms of communication in digital games
- Interaction among co-located gamers
- Game communities and cultures, social interaction in and around games (e.g., clans and online discussions)
- Avatars, identification, and self-representation in virtual worlds
- Development of interaction rules and social norms, including questions of ethics, morality, economy & justice in digital games
- Entertainment through social interaction
- Social functionality of online gaming
- Design and implementation of social interaction
- Methodology of research on social interaction in games
- Violent interactions, griefing, and sexual harassment in digital games
- Excessive use and forms of addiction related to social aspects of gaming
Submission process
Individual paper and panel proposals are welcome. Authors interested in proposing a paper or panel for presentation at the conference are invited to submit an extended abstract between 1000 – 1500 words in APA 6th style to the conference organization committee before 15 March 2014. The abstracts should make clear what the status of the proposed work is, and that it will be ready for presentation at the conference. Panel proposals should include a brief synopsis of the general topic to be examined as well as an overview of the unique contribution of each participant. By sending in a paper or panel, the authors agree to personally present their research at the conference.
Notification of acceptance will be sent by 15 April 2014.
To submit, please e-mail a PDF version of your extended abstract with title as an attachment to thorsten.quandt@uni-muenster.de. As abstracts will be subject to a blind review process, all identifying author information should be removed from the abstract prior to submission. When submitting the abstract, please provide a separate cover page (in a separate file) including the title of your extended abstract, along with your name, title, department/organization, address, and e-mail information.
Student submissions
We are particularly interested in in student panels that discuss up-and-coming research within the area of digital game studies. PhD students should flag their submissions as student papers if they wish to be considered for a student panel (otherwise, they will be taking part in the general paper competition). Student submissions will follow the same rules asstandard submissions, however, they will be part of a separate paper competition.
Please note that the multi.player conference takes place right before the European summer school “Identity and Interdisciplinarity in Games and Play Research“ to be held in Utrecht, The Netherlands. Utrecht can be reached by train in less than 3 hours from the venue of the conference, so this would be an exellent (and low cost) opportunity for students to visit both the conference and the summer school.
More information on the summer school can be found here:
http://www.utrechtsummerschool.nl/courses/culture/identity-and-interdisciplinarity-in-games-and-play-research
(Please note: The organizers of the conference and the summer school are not identical. However, the University Münster is one of the participating universities, and some of the conference organizers will take part as lecturers in the summer school. Still, these are two separate events, with independent submission and registration processes.)