Poké Lab – May 30th
On Tuesday May 30th we have a special conference to interrogate the history, legacy and cultural phenomenon that are the Pokémon games. On this day, MultiPlay becomes its own Pokémon research centre for video games scholars.
Presentations will last 20 minutes, to be followed by a 10 minute Q&A session.
We are currently seeking abstracts related to Pokémon games of no more than 300 words, to be accompanied with a 100 word author biography. Please send all abstracts to networkmultiplay@gmail.com with the heading ‘Poké Lab’ by Friday 21st April.
Some prompts for abstracts include (but in no way should limit submissions):
- Owning and collecting monsters
- Mechanics of battling
- Differences between generations of games and players
- The liminal space of the Pokémon world
- Arceus breaking the mould for Pokémon games
- Relationships to the games according to console/platform (especially the history of the Gameboy)
- Pokémon’s changing style and art
- Transmediality (and where games sit)
If you have any further questions, please email networkmultiplay@gmail.com
Super Mario World Conference – 21st June
Super Mario is the franchise that won’t stop growing, and connects generations as often the first introduction to gaming for many players. In honour of this, MultiPlay is hosting a Super Mario World conference to probe exactly what makes this series iconic, why we connect with certain characters, and how the franchise has evolved over the decades.
Presentations will last 20 minutes, to be followed by a 10 minute Q&A session.
We are currently seeking abstracts related to Super Mario of no more than 300 words, to be accompanied with a 100 word author biography. Please send all abstracts to networkmultiplay@gmail.com with the heading ‘Super Mario World’ by Friday 14th of April.
Some prompts for abstracts include (but in no way should limit submissions):
- The aesthetics of Super Mario
- The evolution of Peach from Damsel in distress to demon on the kart track
- The compulsive mechanics of Mario Kart
- Co-operation and competition in Mario Party
- The goomba workforce
- The monsters of Super Mario World
- Yoshi, and branding companions in video games marketing
If you have any further questions, please email networkmultiplay@gmail.com
The Clancy Brown Conference – September 13th
To celebrate the illustrious career of the prolific Clancy Brown, MultiPlay is hosting this special conference to examine his roles and his presence within the entertainment and video games industries.
Presentations will last 20 minutes, to be followed by a 10 minute Q&A session.
We are currently seeking abstracts related to Clancy Brown of no more than 300 words, to be accompanied with a 100 word author biography. Please send all abstracts to networkmultiplay@gmail.com with the heading ‘Clancy Brown’ by Friday 8th of July.
If you have any further questions, please email networkmultiplay@gmail.com
Video Game Monster Conference – October 25th
After the huge popularity of MultiPlay’s Gothic Games and Disturbing Play conference, MultiPlay has another special Halloween event, this time focussed on monsters. From the clickers of The Last of Us, to the monster boss that generates NSFW content, to monstrous transformations, we want to hear all the best scholarship on monsters in video games.
Presentations will last 20 minutes, to be followed by a 10 minute Q&A session.
We are currently seeking abstracts related to video game monsters of no more than 300 words, to be accompanied with a 100 word author biography. Please send all abstracts to networkmultiplay@gmail.com with the heading ‘Monsters’ by Friday 11th August.
Some prompts for abstracts include (but in no way should limit submissions):
- Monstrous avatars
- Player connections to monsters and the monstrous
- Beat the Boss and the experience of facing the monster
- How video game monsters have transformed through the years
- Monstrous-femmes
- Player and fan cosplays of video game monsters
- Video game monsters and religion
- The cybergothic
If you have any further questions, please email networkmultiplay@gmail.com
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