Call for Proposals: Research Seminar «Game/Play: Studies, Criticism, Design»
The seminar topic is «Connections».
In this «pilot» year of the seminar we decided to choose a topic as wide as possible in order to support participants’ diversity and make the first step towards shaping an established community around our initiative. That’s why we settled on «connections» as a theme. Also, this topic was proposed by the participants of the online-conference «Care and Video Games», that was hosted by HSE Art and Design Conference on May 26-28, 2021 and we regard the seminar as an opportunity to continue cooperation initiated by the conference.
What does «Connections» refer to?
We propose following possible topics for discussion during the seminar:
Video Games and Love
1. Video Games and Religion
2. Video Games and Art
3. Video Games and Sport
4. Educational and Serious Games
5. Gaming communities
6. Video Games and a Player’s connection to herself
7. Video Games as a synthesis of different artistic forms
8. Costume in video games
9. Connections of game mechanics
10. Connection as a game mechanic
11. Connections of genres
12. Connection between designer and audience
13. Translating Video Games
14. Languages, Discourses and Texts of and in Video Games
15. Connection between Digital and Analog Games
16. Urban Games as a Way to Build up a Community
17. LARP, ARG, VRG as Different Ways to Connect Players with Environments
18. Board Role-Playing Games as a Way to Make Social Connections
19. Multiplayer Games and Types of Connections between Players
20. Connections of Game Platforms
21. National Patterns of Video Games’ Development and Consumption
How will the seminar be organized?
The seminar will be held once in two weeks, in Russian and English. There will be two types of work: mini-conferences and debates.
In case of debates, the seminar’s organizers choose speakers that have different views about relevant issues and offer them to argue with each other; a moderator offers participants to pose questions at key points of the discussion.
In case of a mini-conference, the seminar’s organizers choose a keynote speaker established by the seminar’s plan (which will be published on October 1, 2021) and then (alongside with sending notifications about acceptance/decline of proposals on November 1, 2021) ask participants to think on what topic participants also would love to make a small talk fo 10-15 minutes. The first meeting will take place on November 10, 2021 and it will be dedicated to greetings and introduction of the seminar’s participants as well as to arranging a list of speakers for all mini-conferences.
How to apply?
In order to apply, please send your CV and motivation in free form to email gpscd.seminar@gmail.com in Russian or English. The motivation should explain why you want to participate in the seminar, how your own research interests are connected with the seminar’s issues, and what result you expect from participation in the seminar. We especially welcome proposals from undergraduate and postgraduate students! Please use «Connections Seminar» as a mail subject, otherwise we can overlook your proposal.
Publication of the seminar’s thematic plan — October 1, 2021
Deadline for proposals — October 15, 2021
Notification about acceptance/decline of proposals — November 1, 2021
The seminar starts on November 10, 2021.
What is the seminar for?
Our goal is to build up connections between Russian and international game studies, to involve beginning researchers (above all undergraduate and postgraduate students) in the global context, to form close bonds between game designers and researchers.
In May 2022, we also plan to organize a conference on the issues related to the seminar’s topic. Thus, we hope our seminar will be the first step towards development and approbation of the participants’ ideas in academic context.
The seminar’s organizers
1. Alexey Salin (PhD), philosopher, Assistant Professor at Institute of Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Tyumen
2. Fedor Balashov, participant of IBORG collective, teacher at HSE Art and Design School
3. Alexander Vetushinskiy, philosopher, teacher at HSE Art and Design School, researcher at Lomonosov MSU Faculty of Philosophy, expert at Sber Gamification Lab
4. Anatoly Kazakov, developer of educational games for the Agency for Strategic Initiatives, the Vladimir Potanin Foundation, Administration of the Government of Russian Federation, member of International Simulation and Gaming Association, manager of «Game Design and Virtual Reality» Programme at HSE Art and Design School
5. Leonid Moyzhes, teacher at Institute of Business and Design (B&D)
6. Maksim Podvalnyi, teacher at Institute of Business and Design (B&D)