Micha informed me the other day of a conference taking place in Potsdam, Germany from the 8th to 10th of May on the philosophy of computer games. I find it to be a great opportunity for users and players to see games under a completely new perspective.
Jesper Juul and Ian Bogost, both theorists of video game studies will give keynote talks and more are yet to be announced. But the conference will not constitute solely on discussions. Scholars who take a professional interest in the phenomenon of computer games are invited to submit papers to the the international conference “The Philosophy of Computer Games 2008″.
I’ve read somewhere that games should NEVER take themselves too seriously. This conference and the theory of video games, puts this opinion under debate. Although the theory of games is relatively young, it certainly contributes in a discourse about:
action | space
Issues relating to the experiential, interactional and cognitive dimensions of computer game play.
What is the nature of perceptual experience in game space? How should we understand the relationship between action, interaction and space in computer game environments? How should we think about players’ aesthetic, emotive and(/or) rational responses to what goes on inside the game space?
ethics / politics
What are the ethical responsibilities of game-makers in exerting influence on individual gamers and society in general? What role, if any, can games serve as a critical cultural corrective in relation to traditional forms of media and communicative practices, for example in economy and politics?
Also: what is the nature of the ethical norms that apply within the gaming context, and what are the factors that allow or delimit philosophical justifications of their application there or elsewhere?
borders between play and reality
Terms such as “fictionality”, “virtuality”, “simulation” or “representation” are often used to indicate specific functions of objects in games.
But what is the nature of the phenomena these terms refer to in the interactive field of game play? And what is the structure of gaming-processes? What is the mediality of digital games?
We are especially interested in discussions that aim at how the notion of a self-contained “magic circle” – representing an imagined border between play and reality, or the internal and external limits of game-programs – is being challenged by forms of individual action and social inter action which tend to transcend such limits.
Open Invitation
These are just some subjects that will be covered in the conference. If you have any work regarding the topic, you are invited to submit it until the 15th of February.
I know, there is not much time left, but it is certainly worth it. This is an international conference with the collaboration of Universities from Germany, Oslo, Italy and Denmark. Your work will certainly be heard here.
Of course you are also invited to visit the conference. The University of Potsdam has started an effort to provide residence to visitors having a hard time finding a place to stay. Students and conference organizers are welcoming visitors and doing their best locating accommodation and even opening their own homes.
For more information about the conference visit gamephilosophy.org.
For more information about the philosophy of computer games take a look at: The Digiplay Initiative: A collaborative effort on understanding digital games.
Popularity: 8% [?]
Micha responded on 11 Feb 2008 at 10:21 pm #
Hej,
thanks !
And thanks for the reminder that there is only so little time left. Lost in text, trying to formulate my ideas. What does actually “The Philosophy of …” mean to you? I am still not sure how to read it. Does it mean, like with the philosophy of a company, a basis on which computer games communicate, or is it a sort of moral statement, or is it how to describe games from a philosophical point of view? Would be happy for a useful hint I perhaps may write in my introduction…
Greetz, Micha
Paul M. Banas responded on 12 Feb 2008 at 3:14 am #
Computer games can be very serious indeed. In fact, military organizations across many countries are using them for many purposes, primarily in the areas of training and recruitment.
While my citizenship probably prevents me from joining the Swedish Armed Forces, it was disheartening to find out my inept computer game skills were a barrier as well. Below is the English language link. You can go to the root directory to take it in Swedish if you like.
http://forsvar.fileflat.com/english/
Terry Heath responded on 12 Feb 2008 at 5:09 am #
Speaking of games, I’ve got a little one going on over at my blog if you care to take a look.
robojiannis responded on 13 Feb 2008 at 1:41 pm #
@Micha
When I heard (and wrote) the philosophy of games, I mostly thought the philosophical point of view of games. But, I suppose the other options are valid too.
I’m afraid I can’t come up with any hints for your intro
@PMB
It seems like a cool quiz, but it stops loading after the second test. I am against military anyway…
@Terry
I’ll have to get back to you on that one. Lack of inspiration…
Chris responded on 14 Feb 2008 at 6:43 pm #
Sounds like an interesting conference. As Paul mentioned above, there are a few serious game sites
http://www.seriousgames.org
“What are the ethical responsibilities of game-makers in exerting influence on individual gamers and society in general? What role, if any, can games serve as a critical cultural corrective in relation to traditional forms of media and communicative practices, for example in economy and politics?”
Re: this point you made – I think a good example of this is http://worldwithoutoil.org/ which was designed to make people think about what would happen if oil ran out. While it wasn’t a digital computer game, I thought it was a pretty interesting idea to make people think about something different within a game. Jane McGonigal’s research papers on avantgame.com are also very interesting and explore some of the points you mentioned in your post.
robojiannis responded on 15 Feb 2008 at 10:16 pm #
@ Chris
Great stuff. I already knew about serious games and am now taking a better look at the other sites.
I talked to the organization and they will upload all the essays for everyone to download. The essays, which will receive a prize will be summed into a book.
We are also discussing getting a live stream of the discussions in the conference along with an IRC channel, so that anyone interested can pose direct questions.
I’ll get back to you on that.