CfP: The 5th Annual Chinese DiGRA Conference

Chinese DiGRA is excited to announce the fifth annual conference to be held at the CityU Shenzhen Research Institute from the 7^th to the 9^th of September 2018. 

Conference themes

We invite submissions on any aspect of Chinese games, game industries, game design and gaming cultures. We also invite submissions from people located in the Chinese-speaking region who are researching any aspect of games. Topics may include, but are not limited to:

• Analyses of game design and development traditions and practices in the region
• Representation, diversity and inclusiveness in ‘Chinese’ games and game (development/play) cultures
• The Chinese game industries and their future possibilities/weaknesses
• Critical analysis of the Chinese game industries
• Gaming and production cultures in specific ‘Chinese’ regions
• China as the biggest videogame market in the world
• Critical analyses of ‘Chinese’ games and games popular in China
• Critical considerations of future game development in the Chinese-speaking region
• Local ‘game design issues’
• Specificities regarding computer games within Chinese cross-media environments
• Computer games and playability in the context of interactive art and creative media
• Government policy on production and consumption of games
• Esports in the Chinese speaking region and beyond
• The history of Chinese games and gaming
• Comparative analyses of Chinese and other games, game industries and game cultures

*The Chinese DiGRA conference facilitates networking amongst game scholars working in the Chinese-speaking region. Therefore, apart from the above topics we also encourage submissions from scholars located in the Chinese-speaking region working on any aspect of game research.

We are inviting three types of submissions:

• Research presentations: Please submit a maximum 1000 word extended abstract. Accepted abstracts will be presented in sessions on the Saturday and Sunday.
• Doctoral colloquium: This is open to doctoral students at any stage. Please submit a 1000 word document including the stage you are at in your doctorate (e.g. first year, writing up, preparing for viva), a summary of your research project, and the specific area of your research you want to focus on in the colloquium. The colloquium will be held on the Friday morning and will provide an opportunity to get constructive feedback on your ongoing project.
• Panels: Please submit a 500 word description of the panel, including a brief discussion of the relevance and importance of the topic together with short biographies of confirmed panel members. We would particularly welcome panels that bring together industry and academia to discuss issues of common concern.

Important dates

June 30^th: Deadline for submissions

July 15^th: Decisions announced

July 15^th: Conference registration opens

September 7^th-9^th: Conference, CityU Shenzhen.

How to submit
Please email a pdf version of a maximum 1000-word (excluding references) extended abstract in English only no later than June 30^th, 2018 toChinesedigra2018@nottingham.edu.cn. Please make sure to include “CDiGRA2018 Submission” in the subject line of your message. Please make sure to use the Chinese DiGRA 2018 Extended Abstract Template to format your extended abstract. Extended abstracts will be selected by conference and program chairs based on their academic rigor and relevance to the themes of the conference. Note that the extended abstracts do not need to be anonymous. Notifications of acceptance will be sent by July 15th. Accepted authors will have an opportunity to submit their extended abstracts for inclusion in the DiGRA Digital Library. We realize that many of our attendees are not native English speakers but believe that using English(es) as the conference language helps foster cohesion and better interaction during the conference, and strengthens Chinese DiGRA as a community. For questions regarding paper submission and the topics of the conference, or for questions on the conference, please contact Chinesedigra2018@nottingham.edu.cn.

You can view this call for papers on our website: http://www.chinesedigra-old-site.local/conferences/chinese-digra-2018/

Organization description and history
Chinese DiGRA is a regional chapter of DiGRA (Digital Games Research Association) focusing on game research relevant to Chinese speaking countries and the surrounding regions. Chinese DiGRA aims to enhance the quality, quantity, and international profile of games research in the Chinese-speaking context, by developing a network of game scholars and researchers working in the Chinese-speaking world and/or on aspects of Chinese games and gaming cultures, forging links between academic and professional researchers on games, supporting teaching and PhD development in the region, and disseminating and promoting Chinese game scholarship around the world. Chinese DiGRA is run by a board comprised of top academics in the fields of Chinese games research from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. You can find more information on Chinese DiGRA, including papers from previous conferences, at http://www.chinesedigra-old-site.local

Keynote speakers:

Watch this space …

Organising committee of Chinese DiGRA 2017 Conference
Conference Chair: Dr Olli Tapio Leino (Associate Professor, City University of Hong Kong)
Program Chair: Dr Paul Martin (Assistant Professor, University of Nottingham Ningbo China)