ICA 2021 Conference Call for Papers

Vivian Hsueh Hua Chen, Vice Chair
Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information 
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 
E-mail: chenhh@ntu.edu.sg

Scope

The ICA Games Studies Division (GSD) welcomes research from multiple disciplines that investigates human communication related to games in some capacity, including the study of games themselves as well as communication phenomena associated with games. Topically, in addition to (video/digital) games, the scope includes many forms of advanced media experiences (e.g., Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Mixed Reality) and simulations. Disciplinarily, the GSD fosters intersections between communication and media studies, cultural studies, social sciences, computer sciences, design, cognitive sciences, engineering, education, health studies, and information technology studies. We encourage submissions using a wide array of theoretical and methodological approaches (including but not limited to critical/rhetorical, qualitative, and quantitative research methods). 

More specifically, our division welcomes papers, panels, and poster presentations on GAMES topics involving (but not limited to) the following:
  • the social, psychological and political uses and effects 
  • users’ motivations and emotional, cognitive, and psychophysiological experiences 
  • the cultural affordances, uses, and meanings 
  • contextual, critical, and socio-political analyses 
  • comparative media analyses 
  • human-computer interaction 
  • design principles and considerations 
  • educational, industrial, instructional and business application 

All relevant guidelines and requirements in the ICA’s general call for papers apply to submissions made to the Game Studies Division (such as formatting and registration requirements). All submissions should be in APA format (6th or 7th edition), 12 pt Times New Roman, double-spaced, and are not under review for any journals or other conferences. Please note specific requirements for each of its five submission types below.

Important notice: All submissions need to indicate the type of submission in ALL CAPS, at the very beginning of the abstract. It could be: RESEARCH PAPER, THEORY PAPER, RESEARCH ESCALATOR, PANEL PROPOSAL, POSTER PROPOSAL.

Please be aware that we are very strict on our submissions’ criteria. Submissions that do not meet the general ICA submission guidelines, the GSD-specific formal criteria listed below, and/or the kind of submissions explained below will be excluded from the review process. Feel free to contact us if any clarifications are needed. Student submissions must be clearly labeled.

  • Full research papers
    • Must include at least one completed study. 
    • Maximum of 20 pages (main text). References, title page, abstract, figures, and tables are not counted against the page limit. 
    • Must be anonymous. Please remove all identifying information. 
  • Full theoretical papers
    • Must include the development of new theoretical approaches to the studies of GAMES. 
    • Maximum of 20 pages (main text). References, title page, abstract, figures, and tables are not counted against the page limit. 
    • Must be anonymous. Please remove all identifying information. 
  • Research escalator (extended abstract)
    • The research escalator session is a chance for scholars with a less developed research idea to be matched with an established scholar in the division to help flesh out the idea. If you have a preferred mentor or would like a mentor with a specific type of expertise (e.g., methodological expertise), please note this on the first page of the extended abstract.
    • Maximum of 1000 words, exclusive of references, tables, figures. 
    • Must be anonymous. Please remove all identifying information. 
  • Poster proposals
    • Works-in-progress or late-breaking results, considered only for the interactive paper plenary session. 
    • Must include detailed descriptions of the GAMES-related research, and any potential results not available at the time of submission that will likely be included in the final interactive presentation. 
    • Length 4 to 6 pages, inclusive of title page, abstract, references, figures, and tables. 
    • Must be anonymous. Please remove all identifying information. 
  • Panel proposals
    • Must include 1) a 400-word rationale for the panel, 2) a 150-word abstract describing each participant’s contribution, 3) a description of each panelist’s qualifications regarding the proposed topic, and 4) complete contact information for each panelist. 
    • Please note that panel proposals should have contributions from at least two different countries, gender balance, and no more than one contributor from a single faculty, department or school 
    • Each panelist must be willing to register for and attend the conference if the panel is accepted. 
    • Suggestions for co-sponsored panels with other ICA divisions are also welcome. 

Review Criteria:

  • Full Research Papers: Quality of Literature Review, Quality of Methods, Quality of Analyses, Relevance to GAMES, and Quality of Writing. 
  • Full Theoretical Papers: Quality of the Theory Development, Quality of the Application to GAMES, Quality of Derived Assumptions and/or Research Questions, and Quality of Writing. 
  • Research Escalator: Quality of Summarized Literature Review, Quality of Presentation of Approaches and/or Methods, and Quality of Writing. 
  • Panel proposals: Quality of the Rationale, Quality of Contributions, Coherence of Contributions, Relevance to GAMES, and Quality of Writing. 
  • Poster proposals: Quality of Literature Review, Quality of Methods, Proposed Analyses, Relevance to GAMES, and Quality of Writing. 

When submitting in the ICA site, please fill in the keywords that best describe your area of expertise and enroll as a reviewer. We will use the keywords to match submissions with reviewer interests.