Sunday, November 13, 2011

WORKSHOP: Beyond Sports vs. Games

::WORKSHOP DETAILS::

Beyond Sports vs. Games workshop @ IT University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Date: Friday, February 17, 2012

Organizers:
T.L. Taylor, Emma Witkowski, Miguel Sicart, and Douglas Wilson of the
IT University of Copenhagen.

Full details:
http://game.itu.dk/index.php/Beyond_Sports_vs._Games_workshop

* Description:*
Ten years of game studies have passed with little exploration of
sports as a key link in the study of computer gaming. Despite the huge
popularity of sports titles, the growth of e-sports, or the general
adoption of "sporting attitudes" and practices, not much work has been
done to unpack the nature
of computer game play as sport. Conversely, forty years of sports
studies have produced only limited consideration of the practices and
research taking place on digital playing fields. The time is long
overdue for these research fields to mingle. With computer games as a
central focus point, this one-day workshop looks to embrace
interdisciplinary perspectives on sports and computer games, prompting
a richer conversation about the nature of digital play by bringing to
the foreground a sports orientation.

This workshop will be of particular interest to researchers working in
sports and/or game studies. We welcome an interdisciplinary mix.
Drawing from a variety of perspectives including (but not limited to)
game studies, game design research, game history, sociology,
philosophy, anthropology,
leisure studies, and sports studies, workshop participants will
present original research on the subject. Topics can range from
empirical studies to theoretical or conceptual work that uses sports
as a new interpretive frame for digital play. Examples include (but
are not limited to):

- Sports video games and athletic simulation
- Sportspersonship and digital games
- E-sports
- Designing for digital sports
- Play as sporting performance, expertise, and virtuoso play
- Sporting outsiders, alternatives, and rebels
- Fantasy sports & gameplay
- Amateurism & professionalism
- Computer games as lifestyle sports
- Coaching, leading, and mentoring teams
- Spectatorship, audience, and digital sports
- Fandom
- Sporting fields of play: stadiums, servers, and desktops
- Digital sporting equipment and gaming technologies
- Physicality and embodiment in games
- Rules and regulations of play
- Computation and sports
- Sports ethics and digital games
- Relationship between digital games and traditional athleticism/sports

*Format:*
The workshop will consist of presentation of participant research,
feedback on it, and themed discussion sessions. Each participant will
also be assigned two participant?s abstracts to give focused feedback
on. This format offers rigorous consideration of each participants
ideas and works to set-up some central issues to be followed as a
group in the discussion. The organizers will also provide a few texts
for everyone to read in advance (in addition to the abstracts) to
provide some shared overview/context.

*Deadline and Participation:*
There are places for approximately 12 participants. They will be
selected by the organizing committee on the basis of the submitted
extended abstracts, with an eye toward the overall workshop mix and
thematic focus. Extended abstracts of 500 words are due by 15 November
2011 to ewitkowski@itu.dk. You will receive a notification of
acceptance within about a week. You must submit via the format
provided here [application format
here<http://game.itu.dk/index.php/Beyond_Sports_vs._Games_workshop>].
The form includes the extended abstract describing how your work
relates to the workshop topic and briefly outlines the core issues you
are facing or developed points for discussion at the workshop. As the
workshop is interdisciplinary, please include in the abstract basic
information about your disciplinary context in order to help the
organizers theme the discussion sessions.

*Cost:
*Participation in the workshop is free. However, participants are
responsible for covering their own meals, transportation, and accommodation.


For more information, see the workshop website:
http://game.itu.dk/index.php/Beyond_Sports_vs._Games_workshop

No comments: