University of Lapland, Faculty of Art & Design, Department of Media CALL FOR PAPERS, BOOK “EXTENDING EXPERIENCES” While players of video games have always been waiting for the next generation of technology, less fuss is made about next-generation experiences. If such experiences are already there, what are they like? What would be the 21st-century-equivalent to the experiences of Andy Capp's Tavern’s customers who rushed into the bar to play Pong until the machine got jammed with coins? Ask a script writer, a political mod artist, a middleware developer, a computer game researcher, and someone who has traded off his social contacts in real life for a high-level character in a MMOG – and you will be overwhelmed by the diversity of what makes an experience worth striving for. Department of Media at the Faculty of Art & Design of the University of Lapland and Mediapolis Innomedia project will publish a multidisciplinary book on player experiences in early 2007. The book will be a compilation of peer-reviewed articles. Respecting the Department of Media’s tradition of combining research with design, the book aims to piece together contemplations from researchers, designers, and those in-between, within or outside the academia. The working title or a catchphrase of the book is “Extending Experiences”. On one hand, the extending might mean creating games that allow new kinds of experiences or are more emotional, maybe by implementing innovations regarding for example gameplay, graphics, sound or the interface. Also the players are creative. Their use of games in a way designers did not intend alters their experiences. On the other hand, the extending takes place concept-wise. In the wake of new forms of games and playing new types of players get introduced to digital games. Thus, the concept of player experience has to assimilate very different takes on how, where, when and why games are played and experienced. No matter from which viewpoint one looks at the player’s experience, it seems that it poses challenges for those trying to observe or analyse it, not to mention those who are trying to understand it in order to be able to design something new. Topics that the authors are invited to be address from the viewpoint of the players experience include, but are not limited to the following, and case-studies with an artistic or an industrial perspective are also welcomed. Games - Game genres and gameplay concepts, abstract games, story-based games - Game design “trends”, e.g. movie-like games with no HUDs - Graphics and sound; audiovisual styles, cel-shading, photorealism, sound-based games - Different player setups; one or many, local or online, one-vs-one, team-vs-team, etc. - Avatars and other player representations - Innovations; new gameplay concepts, platforms, input devices, interfaces, AI - Different types of games; online multiplaying (both hc & casual), mobile and portable games, pervasive and VR games - Content; games not only for entertaining, i.e. “seriousness” of games, in-game advertising Players - Different player groups and motivations; e.g. newbie, casual, hc, professional, senior, grrl, and mom gamers - The role of “fun” in players’ experiences - Player identities - Games as media for human relations - Players’ goals, emotions, motivations, expectations - Consequences of playing - Borderline activities; guild/clan webfora, mods, machinima, real-money trade of in-game assets Methodological challenges for research and design - Games as form of art, propaganda or education - Design research from all viewpoints - Philosophy of the experience - Game-related experiences vs. other experiences - Player’s experience compared to user’s/reader’s/viewer’s experience - The applications of cognitive psychology, affective computing, HCI, Media Studies, etc. on understanding the players’ experiences IMPORTANT DATES All papers will be reviewed by an independent review committee, which will provide written feedback on each paper. June, 5. 2006 Abstract submission June, 12. 2006 Notification of acceptance Sept, 5. 2006 Submission of full papers Jan, 10. 2006 Submission of final papers SUBMISSION INFORMATION AND FORMATTING GUIDELINES Please, send electronic submissions using the submission form on the website at http://www.ulapland.fi/eexp/ Abstract The abstract will summarise the contents of the paper and should contain from 150 to 200 words. Please submit the abstract along with the additional information in plain text format using the electronic submission form on the website at http://www.ulapland.fi/eexp/ With the abstract, please submit the following: 1) Author(s) bio including full name, work affiliation, list of publications, and previous works 2) Contact information, including e-mail, address, and phone number Paper formats and length For the full version and the final version of the paper, use APA citation and formatting style and follow the instructions below. First full version of the paper that will be sent to the reviewers: The full paper should be from 15 to 25 pages including references etc. Margins: One inch on all sides (top, bottom, left, right) Font size and type: 12-pt. font, Times New Roman or Times Spacing: Double-space throughout the paper Alignment: Left Paragraph indentation: 5-7 spaces Page numbers: Header of the paper, right corner Order of pages: Title page, abstract, body, references, appendixes, footnotes, tables, figure captions, figures For page examples and more detailed information on the format, see http://www.vanguard.edu/faculty/ddegelman/index.aspx?doc_id=796 Final version of the paper: For final version of the paper follow the previous instructions (First full version of the paper). We also strongly recommend you to submit the final paper in LaTeX-typeset PDF format. A LaTeX template will be available on the book’s website later on. INFORMATION ABOUT THE REVIEW BOARD The line-up of the review board will be announced later on the book’s web page at http://www.ulapland.fi/eexp/ INFORMATION ABOUT THE EDITORS When contacting the editors, please use the address eexp@ulapland.fi for correspondence related to the Extending Experiences book. Ms. Amyris Fernandez Amyris Fernandez is a PhD student at the Metodista School, Sao Paulo, Brazil. She holds a Masters Degree by the Rochester Institute of Technology, and is currently a visiting researcher at the Center for Computer Games Research, IT University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Amyris has 15 years professional experience in companies from pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and consumer brand market. She runs a usability consulting company that works for companies from government to mobile devices. E-mail: amyris@uol.com.br Tel.: + 55 11 8122 1723 URL: http://www.usabilityexpert.com.br URL: http://www.amyrisfernandez.com.br Mr. Olli Leino Olli Leino has an Art and Design MA degree in Audiovisual Media Culture, and is currently working on his Dr. of Arts dissertation about the emotions of a player of a video game. He has worked in applied research projects supporting game development for both mobile and traditional game platforms. For the year 2006 he is a visiting researcher at the Center for Computer Games Research at the IT-University of Copenhagen, Denmark. E-mail: olli.leino@ulapland.fi Tel.: +45 26 63 27 05 URL: http://www.ulapland.fi/art/ URL: http://game.itu.dk/itu_people.html#OLLIL Ms. Hanna Wirman Hanna Wirman is a Doctor of Arts candidate at the University of Lapland, Rovaniemi, Finland. She holds an Art and Design M.A. degree on Audiovisual Media Culture, and currently works as a researcher at InnoMedia project of University of Lapland’s Faculty of Art and Design. She is also a researcher in the national Graduate School of Audiovisual Media, Elomedia, and visiting researcher at the Center for Computer Games Research, IT-University of Copenhagen, Denmark. She is currently researching gender and digital games E-mail: hanna.wirman@ulapland.fi Tel.: +45 27 71 79 17 URL: http://www.ulapland.fi/art/ URL: http://game.itu.dk/itu_people.html#HANNA