The self-nomination period for the 2027-9 Digital Games Research Association Executive Board will be open from now to 30 September. Please consider if you have the time and passion to donate your time to serving DiGRA through a seat on the executive board.
Eligibility criteria:
- All current DiGRA members are eligible to vote in the General Election.
- All current DiGRA members are eligible to candidate for any DiGRA office, with the exception of those members who already served in DiGRA Board for two consecutive terms.
- One DiGRA member can be a candidate for one position only.
Open roles:
The President is responsible for ensuring the continuity and development of DiGRA and ensuring that the association undertakes, to the best of its combined abilities, actions to facilitate this. Using feedback from the community and Executive Board, the President is responsible for task prioritization, goal setting, and directing the Board’s progress. The President holds final responsibility for ensuring the legal and ethical behaviour of the Association and in the event of a tied vote on the executive committee holds the power of the deciding vote.
The Vice-President assists the President in all tasks required. In the absence of the President, the Vice-President shall take on the President’s duties as appropriate.
The Secretary is responsible for maintaining copies of all records of the Association and producing and filing minutes of all executive committee meetings. The secretary will also take the lead in producing executive reports for the DiGRA membership and maintaining up to date and accurate membership records.
The Chapter Officer serves as a liaison between DiGRA Executive Board and DiGRA Chapters, monitoring and reporting their activities, voicing concerns and questions of chapter members, and facilitating inter-chapter collaboration. Chapter Officer organizes official chapter meetings, collects requests for funding, and oversees creation of new chapters.
The Diversity Officer is the core responsible person to work with the conference Local Organising Committee to ensure diversity guidelines are implemented during the conference. The Diversity Officer is expected to report to the board of any related concerns in a timely manner and can, in turn, expect support from the board to address issues as they emerge.
The Sustainability Officer advises the Association in all matters of sustainable and environmentally responsible research and conference organization. The Sustainability Officer is tasked with publishing guidelines for DiGRA scholars regarding more sustainable game research practices, and helps conference organizers to make more environmentally conscious decisions.
The Student Officer is the voice of the students (PhD students included) on the Executive Board. The core responsibilities are monitoring student-facing DiGRA events, controlling whether official actions of the association remain student-friendly and reporting to the board any student-related issues and concerns in a timely manner. To be eligible for this position, a candidate must be a registered student at a recognised higher education institution.
The Industry Relations Officer serves as a liaison between DiGRA members and industry partners, fostering non-zero-sum collaborations. Industry partners are video game companies, game platforms like Steam, video game development incubators, esports professionals etc. The Industry Relations Officer monitors and reports on current industry trends relevant to DiGRA’s mission and objectives. They are expected to facilitate collaborations such as workshops, mentorship programs, and research initiatives.
3x Open Seat responsible for such tasks as the Executive Board may assign to them, including conference organizing, publication help, or member outreach. These seats can be filled with an additional election at off years to add such expertise to the board that has been identified to be currently needed by the membership or by the board.
How to Apply
Anyone interested in serving on the DiGRA Board should apply via Google Form submission. The form asks for your name, the role you are interested in filling, and a brief (250 word max) description of your background, explaination of how your skills and talents are suited to the role, and the platform or agenda you would seek to fulfil during your term.
The self nomination form can be viewed here.
How to Vote
Voting is not yet open, but once it is, you will receive a ballot to whatever email address you used when you registered on Memberful.
Dr. Olli Sotamaa has kindly agreed to serve as vote counter to ensure neutrality in the process.
Election Timeline
- Now- 30 September: Self-nomination opens.
- 5 October-20 October: Voting opens.
- 1 November: Results announced.
- November-December: Incoming board onboarding.
- 1 January 2027: New board takes office.