Power Play: Archaeology and Games
The field of archaeogaming, the study of the intersection between archaeology and video games, has been gaining increased academic recognition. Some of the main research strands have included examinations of the ethics of looting in video games and establishing video games as archaeological sites. This session aims to build on this existing research, whilst also inviting new perspectives, specifically examining how power dynamics are produced or reproduced in games from an archaeological point of view.
Whilst archaeogaming studies have tended to focus on digital games, this session is open to submissions focusing on any kind of game, from prehistoric gaming pieces to 19th century boardgames to upcoming video game releases. We are open to considering a wide range of interpretations of this core theme. Some suggested topics, which are by no means exhaustive, include:
- Colonialism and historical/archaeological games
- Power dynamics in games affected by race/gender/sexuality/age/disability
- Accessibility and games
- Working conditions in games development and archaeology
We particularly encourage submissions from individuals outside of the academy, from other disciplines, individuals who have not presented at a conference before and those at undergraduate level. If you would like to submit but are concerned about conference fees, please do get in touch as we are passionate about making this session as accessible as possible. There will also be a digital stream of the session on Twitter for those who cannot present in person.
The standard format will be for 15 minute presentations, however we are open to experimental and multimedia presentations.
You can see the list of sessions for the conference here (Power Play is number 44).
To submit: Send an abstract of 250 words, with your title, affiliation (if any) and your email address to Florence at fsmithnicholls@gmail.com Deadline: Midnight GMT 2nd September 2019 Conference dates: 16th-18th December 2019 Conference venue: UCL Institute of Education, 20 Bedford Way, London WC1H 0AL Conference website
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