[artinfo] CfP: Extending Experiences book (new deadline)

[olli leino]

Apologies for cross-posting. Feel free to distribute. 150-200 wise 
words before June 19th. http://www.ulapland.fi/eexp/

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. NB: Due to popular 
demand, the abstract submission deadline has been extended from the 
original.

June, 19. 2006 		Abstract submission (was: June 5th)
June, 26. 2006		Notification of acceptance (was: June 12th)
Sept, 5. 2006 		Submission of full papers
Jan, 10. 2006		Submission of final papers

SUBMISSION INFORMATION AND FORMATTING GUIDELINES

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/

For more details, please visit the book's web page.

INFORMATION ABOUT THE REVIEW BOARD

The line-up of the review board will be announced later on the book's web page.

INFORMATION ABOUT THE EDITORS

Please visit the book's web page to view the editors' bios.