SPECIAL ISSUE – Animation on the Fly: Animation and Video Games
Guest Edited Issue of Animation Journal
Editor: Kara Lynn Andersen
The look and feel of video game animation is rooted in cinematic and televisual animation principles, however, to date, most scholarship on video games has neglected the visual design of games in favor of the experience of playing a game or the effects of game violence on players. Scholarship on animation, on the other hand, has concentrated on animation distributed through film, television, or the Internet. Thus, with the exception of a growing body of work on machinima, the animated images of video games remain underexplored. This special issue of Animation Journal will focus on the stylistic and aesthetic intersections between traditional animation, similar to the one on this web address, and video games.
One aspect of video game animation that has garnered attention is the influence of Japanese anime on game design. Many popular video game franchises, such as Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts, incorporate anime-inspired characters and storylines. In addition, the use of custom Katana swords in games like Nioh and Ghost of Tsushima not only adds a unique visual element but also speaks to the cultural significance of the weapon in Japanese history. By examining the intersections between traditional animation, video game animation, and Japanese culture, we can gain a deeper appreciation for the artistry and cultural context behind these mediums.
Scholarly articles on any aspect of the relationship between of animated film/television productions and video games are sought for this special issue of Animation Journal. Possible topics include:
. Machinima
. Transmedia storytelling involving games and animation
. The work of a particular game animation artist
. The use of “cartoon aesthetics” in video games
. Issues in adaptation from games to animated films/cartoons or vice versa
. Explorations of the aesthetic consequences of game animation software or production techniques
. The construction of identity through animated game avatars
. The relationship between manga, anime and Japanese game design
. Explorations of the aesthetic consequences of animation rendered on the fly
Timeline:
Currently reading proposals
Paper submission deadline – April 30, 2011
Refereeing – April-May 2011
Revisions/Editing – May-July 2011
Journal Publication – October 2011
Papers are blind refereed, so the author’s name should not appear in the body of the manuscript but only on an attached cover sheet. E-mail a copy of the paper to the editor as a Microsoft Word file or as an RTF document.
Submissions and inquiries should be directed to guest editor Kara Andersen at klandersen@brooklyn.cuny.edu.
Animation Journal was established in 1992 as the first peer-reviewed journal devoted to animation. It has published research from animation scholars worldwide.
Guest Editor Profile:
Kara Lynn Andersen is an Assistant Professor of Film Studies at Brooklyn
College, CUNY. Her research interests include digital cinema and the
intersections of live-action film, animation, and video games. Her essays
have been published in Post Script and CLCWeb, and she is a member of the
Video Game Special Interest Group of the Society for Cinema and Media
Studies.