One of the early formative debates in game studies concerned whether games can be considered stories. While some critics originally questioned whether games at all may be able to tell stories, the field is today in relative agreement that games may indeed be a storytelling medium although they may express their stories in different ways than other media do. This conference expands the conversation about games and narrative into questions about the narratives of game culture.
What are the stories that shape game culture? Whose stories are they? Who are the authorities of how we understand and define game culture? How do gatekeeping mechanisms and power dynamics influence the norms of what a real game is and who can call themselves true gamers? How can we as researchers contribute to verify or reject the narratives that are told about games and gaming, and with what methods?
The Nordic DiGRA 2027 conference invites scholars in all disciplines interested in games, play, game creation, and related phenomena to submit their original research relating to the narratives that shape game culture.
The list of possible topics includes but is not limited to:
- Critical accounts of the framings of game culture
- Empirical studies of the life stories and lived experiences of players and game enthusiasts
- Discussions of different epistemological or disciplinary understandings of game culture
- Historical accounts of game culture
- Theoretical discussions of game narratives and the framing of narrative within games
- Meta-reflections of the stories about games and game culture as told in game studies
- The representation of games and game culture in the media
- Creative research that demonstrates new design approaches to game narrative
Nordic DiGRA 2027 is organized at University of Bergen, Norway, June 9-11, 2027, by the Center for Digital Narrative (external link) in collaboration with The Department of Information Science and Media Studies at University of Bergen.
Program committee
- Doris C. Rusch (external link), chair, Uppsala University, Sweden
- Rune Klevjer, University of Bergen, Norway
- Usva Friman (external link), Tampere University & University of Turku, Finland
Local committee
- Kristine Jørgensen, chair
- Kristian Bjørkelo
- Dominic Ford
- Ola Roth Johnsen
- Tom Legierse
- Irmelin Wilhelmsen Nilsen
- Andreas Hadsel Opsvik
- Knut Risnes
- Zahra Rizvi
- Haoyuan Tang
Important dates:
- Deadline for submissions: Jan 24, 2027
- Decisions: March 14, 2027
- Early bird deadline: April 14, 2027
- Camera-ready versions deadline: May 7, 2027
- Registration closing: May 23, 2027
- Conference: June 9-11, 2027
Submission guidelines
You may submit either a full paper (5000–7000 words excluding references) or an extended abstract (500–1000 words excluding references). Workshop proposals are also welcome (500–1000 words excluding references). Details about submission requirements will be announced soon.
All submissions will be subjected to anonymous peer-review. Accepted full papers will be published in the conference proceedings openly available in the DiGRA Digital Library. Highest quality full paper submissions may get invited for a special issue.