FDG 2010: The 5th International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games

FDG 2010: The 5th International Conference on the Foundations of  Digital Games 19-21 June 2010, at Asilomar Conference Grounds, Monterey, California. http://fdg2010.org/

Important Dates
Workshop Proposals:                 18 Sep 2009 (past)
Paper and Poster Submission:         5 Feb 2010
Doctoral Consortium Submission:     12 Feb 2010
Author Notification:                29 Mar 2010
Demo Submission:                     2 Apr 2010
Registration for Authors:            9 Apr 2010
Camera Ready Papers:                23 Apr 2010
Conference:                      19-21 Jun 2010

LATEST NEWS
Invited Speaker: James Gee
James Gee, Mary Lou Fulton Presidential Professor of Literacy Studies at the Arizona State University and the author of “What Video Games  Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy”, “Good Video Games and Good Learning: Collected Essays” as well as other influential books and research papers is the first Invited Speaker for FDG 2010.
Advertisement in the November issue of Communications of the ACM

The November issue of CACM features a full page ad for FDG 2010. You can download a copy of the ad from http://fdg2010.org/downloads/FDG2010-acm-ad-small.pdf to distribute to your colleagues and students. If you would like some color flyers to distribute at the next conference you are attending, please contact Yusuf Pisan yusuf.pisan@uts.edu.au and we will get some flyers out to you.

Workshops at FDG 2010

There will be 3-4 workshops held in conjunction with FDG 2010. See web page for details of the workshops and on submitting papers to  workshops. Please note that selection and publication of the papers for the workshops is the responsibility of specific workshop organizers and is not conducted by the FDG Program Committee.

Panels at FDG 2010

In addition to invited speakers from industry and academy leaders, peer-reviewed papers and tutorials, FDG 2010 will have panels on topics related to games. If you have any burning suggestions for panel topics or people you would like to see on the panel, please email Ian Bogost ian.bogost@lcc.gatech.edu

OVERVIEW

FDG 2010, the International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games, is a focal point for academic efforts in all areas of research and education involving games, game technologies, gameplay and game design. The goal of the conference is the advancement of the study of digital games, including new game technologies, capabilities, designs, applications, educational uses, and modes of play.

FDG 2010 will include presentations of peer-reviewed papers, invited talks by high-profile industry and academic leaders, hands-on tutorials and topical panels on a range of subjects related to games research and education. We invite researchers and educators to share insights and cutting-edge results relating to game technologies and their use.

PAPER and POSTER SUBMISSIONS

FDG 2010 will accept both full paper and poster submissions. Authors may choose to submit their papers and posters to the general conference or to a specific theme area. The seven theme areas for FDG 2010 are described below.
1) Artificial Intelligence
Track Chair: Magy Seif El-Nasr, Simon Fraser University

We solicit papers on artificial intelligence research that provides  novel solutions to traditional game AI problems (e.g., path planning, camera control, terrain analysis, user modeling, tactical/strategic and decision making), supports novel game concepts or gameplay elements (e.g. interactive drama, narrative/character development and NPC belief/attitude/emotion modeling), provides automated or semi-automated solutions to game production challenges (e.g., game design, content creation, testing and procedural animation), or describes the integration of AI technologies (e.g., machine learning, logical inference and planning) into game AI architectures.
2) Computer Science and Games Education
Track Chair: Andrew Phelps, Rochester Institute of Technology
The Computer Science and Games Education Theme Area invites researchers and educators to submit papers illustrating the latest advances and innovation in curricula for games and computer science, in both formal and informal educational contexts. All papers must show rigorous and compelling evaluation. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: game design and development curricula, effective  practices and infrastructure for the use of games and game technologies in Computer Science courses and programs, Web-based (adaptive) educational games and interdisciplinary collaboration among computer scientists and others to create games in educational contexts.
3) Game Design
Track Chair: Tracy Fullerton, University of Southern California
The Game Design theme seeks detailed reports of creative practice and methods, as well as the exploration and development of innovative gameplay forms and mechanics. Design postmortems that rigorously analyze the intent and effect of particular solutions, mechanics, structures or gaming situations are very welcome.  Also, research on new models for player involvement, design for learning, participatory design, iterative player-centered process, and investigations into the relationship between hardware and software platforms and design are strongly encouraged. Submissions may discuss theoretical designs or implemented ones, but should provide evaluative evidence and rigorous analysis of outcomes.
4) Game Studies
Track Chair: Mia Consalvo, MIT
Game Studies as a field is broadly interdisciplinary, welcoming a variety of theoretical, methodological and computational approaches to the study of games and play. This year, we particularly seek submissions that investigate areas such as player experience, game ontology, the social and cultural aspects of gameplay, cross-cultural or global analyses, networked play (including consoles), game aesthetics and criticism, casual and serious gaming and analysis of new and emerging phenomena. All submissions must provide rigorous analysis and present evaluative evidence.
5) Graphics and Interfaces
Track Chair: Steven Feiner, Columbia University
The Graphics and Interfaces theme seeks papers on all aspects of computer graphics and user interfaces that are specifically related to digital games, including but not limited to: animation, modeling, rendering, 2D and 3D user interfaces, collaborative user interfaces, mobile user interfaces, tangible user interfaces, design of (interfaces for) Web 2.0 game focused web applications, integration of web-based and computer/console based game worlds, augmented reality and virtual reality, and novel interaction devices and displays.
6) Infrastructure (Databases, Networks, Security)
Track Chair: Mark Claypool, WPI
The Infrastructure track invites submissions that focus on the many aspects of improving systems support for digital games.  Suitable papers should describe novel networks, operating systems or database systems that are especially designed for games, or make novel use of existing systems to support games. Topics of interest include:
networked game architectures, network protocol design for games, latency compensation and synchronization methods, mobile and/or
resource-constrained game platforms, software and middleware support for networked games, content delivery and adaptation, services for
supporting networked games, cheat detection and prevention, networking and security for Web-based games and game portals, database engines
and database optimization for games, distributed database techniques and consistency models for networked games, and data management for
games that cross physical and virtual worlds.
7) Learning in Games
Track Chair: Elisabeth Hayes, Arizona State University
Learning in Games invites papers that investigate how games contribute to intellectual, creative, social, and embodied forms of learning in and outside the classroom, for learners of all ages. Studies focused on educational games as well as the learning potential of COTS games are welcome. Research on the design of games for learning, the  outcomes of game-based learning, and learning that occurs in the social contexts and interactions around games (such as within fan communities) should be submitted to this track. Papers on the professional training of game developers should be submitted to the  Computer Science and Games Education track.
All paper and poster submissions will be rigorously peer reviewed for their technical merit (where applicable), significance, clarity and  relevance to the advancement of the study of games. All full papers must describe a completed unit of work and show rigorous and compelling evaluation of the ideas they present. Poster submissions should describe novel work in progress that is not at the same level of research maturity as a full submission.

Full papers must not exceed eight pages, but can be shorter. We will review for quality not length! Poster submissions must not exceed two
pages. All submissions must be submiteed via https://easychair.org/login.cgi?conf=fdg2010 and must comply with the official ACM proceedings format using one of the templates provided at  http://www.acm.org/sigs/pubs/proceed/template.html
All accepted paper and poster submissions will be published in the conference proceedings. For a paper or poster to appear in the proceedings, at least one author must register for the conference by  the deadline for camera-ready copy submission.
Papers from FDG 2009 and its predecessor (GDCSE 2008) are included in the ACM Digital Library and we anticipate that all paper, poster, and  doctoral consortium publications from this year’s conference will appear there as well.
Submissions must not have been published previously.  In addition, a  submission identical or substantially similar (or even a subset or  superset) in content to one submitted to FDG should not be simultaneously under consideration at another conference or journal during the entire FDG review process (i.e., from the submission deadline until the notifications of decisions are emailed to authors).

WORKSHOP PROPOSALS
The workshops portion of the conference provides an informal setting for new developments to be discussed and demonstrated. We invite  proposals for full-day and half-day workshops focused on specific topics related to the broader themes around games. We are particularly  interested in topics that will bridge different communities.
Proposals should include: A 2-page extended abstract, the objectives and expected outcome of the workshop, the planned activities, the  background of the organizer(s), the anticipated number of participants, and the means for soliciting and selecting participants. Proposal should be emailed directly to the Michael Mateas, Workshop Chair, at michaelm@cs.ucsc.edu.

DOCTORAL CONSORTIUM
The FDG Doctoral Consortium provides an opportunity for a limited group of Ph.D. students to discuss and explore their research  interests and career objectives with a panel of established games researchers and industry professionals. The consortium has the following objectives: (1) to provide a setting for mutual feedback on participants’ current research and guidance on future research directions; (2) develop a supportive community of scholars and a spirit of collaborative research; (3) support a new generation of  researchers with information and advice on academic, research, industrial, and nontraditional career paths; and (4) contribute to the conference goals through interaction with other researchers and  participation in conference events.
Students whose submissions to the Doctoral Consortium are accepted for presentation will receive complimentary conference registration and  some support for their travel/housing expenses.

FDG 2010 ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
Conference Chair
Ian Horswill, Northwestern University

Program Chair
Yusuf Pisan, University of Technology, Sydney

Doctoral Consortium Chair
Zoran Popovic, University of Washington

Workshops Chair
Michael Mateas, University of California, Santa Cruz

Panels Chair
Ian Bogost, Georgia Institute of Technology

Tutorials Chair
Robin Hunicke, That Game Company

Local Arrangements Chair
Marilyn Walker, University of California, Santa Cruz

Webmaster
Karl Cheng-Heng Fua, Northwestern University

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Please see http://fdg2010.org/ for this year’s conference and http://foundationsofdigitalgames.org/ for past years, including:
Table of Contents for FDG 2009: http://portal.acm.org/toc.cfm?id=1536513
Table of Contents for GDCSE 2008: http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1463673
Proceedings for GDCSE 2007: http://www.eng.unt.edu/ian/Cruise2007/madgdcse2007.pdf

To get the latest news on FDG, subscribe to the FDG-announce mailing list. Send an email to listserv@listserv.it.northwestern.edu with no  subject line and a body saying:
SUBSCRIBE fdg-announce firstname lastname
Yusuf
A/Professor Yusuf Pisan
Games Studio
Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology University of Technology, Sydney
http://staff.it.uts.edu.au/~ypisan/
http://games.it.uts.edu.au/
Skype: ypisan

[CFP v2, sent out on 4 Nov 2009]