21.339 cfp: Hybrid Reality Games

               Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 21, No. 339.
       Centre for Computing in the Humanities, King's College London
  www.kcl.ac.uk/schools/humanities/cch/research/publications/humanist.html
                        www.princeton.edu/humanist/
                     Submit to: humanist_at_princeton.edu

         Date: Tue, 13 Nov 2007 08:25:14 +0000
         From: "Suely Fragoso " <suely_at_unisinos.br>
         Subject: call for papers - Hybrid Reality Games:
Reconfiguring social and urban networks via locative media

CALL FOR PAPERS
for Edited Book Hybrid Reality Games:
Reconfiguring social and urban networks via locative media

Edited by: Adriana de Souza e Silva, Ph.D.=20
(Communication, North Carolina State University) souzaesilva_at_ncsu.edu
Daniel Sutko (Communication, North Carolina State University) dmsutko_at_ncsu.edu

Description: Games are pervasive activities in
human culture. The strong success of video and
computer games during the last 20 years can make
us forget that the physical environment has
always been the primary playful space. But if
computers helped take games to digital spaces,
the popularity of mobile technologies takes them
back to the physical. The pervasiveness of mobile
phones, which allow us to walk around urban
spaces connected to the Internet and each other,
encourages the creation of a new type of game
arena that takes place simultaneously in physical
and digital spaces. In these games,
communication, collaboration, and interaction
occur in a combination of the physical and the
digital=97in hybrid spaces. In such games the
players=92 mobility and position in space indeed matter.

Hybrid Reality and Location-based games transform
the players' perception of urban spaces, as well
as the intrinsic definition of game space. This
edited book invites essays that critically
investigate the inter-relations among mobile
technologies, location-based activities, and
playful / social spaces, with the ultimate goal
of finding interconnections between games and social networks.

Submitted essays should focus on three main areas:

(1) The history of games as social environments,
with particular emphasis on MUDs and RPGs, as
predecessors of hybrid reality/location-based
gaming. Essays in this part of the book are
encouraged to explore how game communities are
formed, how players in these types of games
contribute to the creation of the game space,
game content, and the social relationships inside and outside the game.

(2) Theoretical papers about location aware
games, differentiating these types of activities
from previous game theories on video games.
Besides theoretical papers, we also welcome case
studies on current location-based, hybrid reality
games, urban games, and pervasive games. In
summary, we look for defining an overarching
concept for the different types of multiuser
games that employ mobile technologies as interfaces.

(3) Essays that investigate games beyond the pure
entertainment approach, including articles that
explore uses of hybrid reality, location aware
and pervasive activities in educational contexts,
media arts, training, corporate environments, and
other similar activities. Essays might draw
connections among gaming, education, art, and other location-based=
  activities.

These are suggested research themes, but similar
topics will also be considered. The book will be
directed at academic readers, but should be
attractive to the gaming community and industry insiders, as well.

Abstracts of 500/700 words describing the
proposed papers are due by December 15th, 2007
with those accepted due in final form by June
15th, 2008. Submissions may be in the form of
empirical research studies or theory-building
papers and should be 5000/7000 words (in
English). Abstracts must include a brief biography of the author(s).

Proposals and inquiries should be sent
electronically to souzaesilva_at_ncsu.edu .

Deadlines: Paper abstracts: December 15th 2007(500/700 words)
Notification of accepted abstracts: January 15th 2008
Full papers: June 15th 2008 (5000/7000 words)

About the editors:

Adriana de Souza e Silva is an Assistant
Professor at the Department of Communication at
North Carolina State University (NCSU), and the
director of the Mobile Gaming Research Lab
(http://mglab.chass.ncsu.edu). She is also a
faculty member of the Science, Technology and
Society Program at NCSU. In 2004/2005, Dr. de
Souza e Silva was a Senior Researcher at the UCLA
Graduate School of Education and Information
Studies (GSE&IS) at CRESST (Center for the Study
of Evaluation). She holds a Ph.D. on
Communication and Culture at the Federal
University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. From 2001
to 2004 Dr. de Souza e Silva was a visiting
scholar at the UCLA Department of Design | Media
Arts. Her research focuses on how new media
(mobile) interfaces reconfigure our relationship
to space and create new social environments via
media art and hybrid reality games games. She
holds a Masters degree in Communication and Image
Technology at the Federal University of Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil. http://www.souzaesilva.com http://mglab.chass.ncsu.edu

Daniel Sutko is a second-year Master's student in
the Department of Communication at North Carolina
State University. He teaches public speaking and
is the research assistant for the Mobile Gaming
Research Lab at NCSU. His research centers on the
relationship between media and social/spatial
practices, with a particular focus on new media literacy.
Received on Tue Nov 13 2007 - 03:46:01 EST