The GI Direct for December 11, 2024

What's Happening at the GI

We are amazed at the interest and support people have shown in the 2025 International Conference on Games and Narrative! Thank you to everyone who has submitted and to those who have volunteered as reviewers. Our reviewers are currently hard at working pouring over the submissions, and we will be getting back to all of those you have submitted in the coming weeks before we close down for the holidays.

Last week, we held a Holiday Social and Potluck! Thank you to all our members who participated, shared food, and partook in the many activities we had planned for the day.

Research Updates

• PhD Candidate Toben Racicot and Artist Alaire Racicot Featured in The Record About New Graphic Novel Project
• GI Faculty Member Dr. Oliver Schneider Receives Graphics Interface Award.

The GI Podcast

The GI Podcast is available on all major podcast platforms and features a wide variety of emerging and established scholars from diverse disciplines. Check out this episode featuring GI Alum Shawn DeSouza-Coelho.

• 047: Theater and Narrative Design with Shawn DeSouza-Coelho

Project Spotlight

For this week's project spotlight, we're spotlighting a project from GI Alum AC Atienza .

Atienza explored merging two major schools of thought in game studies – studying narratives vs. mechanics – by creating a new framework called “Game Poetics”. As someone who is both a games research and designer, Atienza wanted to bridge the gaps between the different theoretical approaches. Drawing from their English language and literature background, Game Poetics utilizes six unique lenses that can be used by both narrative – and mechanic – focused researchers and designers analyzing or building games. These lenses are tools to help look at the subject of analysis (in this case, of games) with a specific perspective. When using all six lenses, one should ideally gain a well-rounded understanding of the game they are analyzing or building.

Upcoming External Events

Check out the following UWaterloo events we've highlighted for our community.

1. Digital Health 2025 [IN-PERSON] April 10 -11, 2025. Hosted in partnership with the UWaterloo, Digital Health 2025 convenes global leaders across key sectors such as healthcare, academia, government, etc. Early bird, group and students rate tickets are available.

Research Opportunities

Get involved with some exciting research projects and opportunities we've highlighted for our community!

1. Career Opportunity at the Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business - The Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Waterloo invites applications for one permanent track position at the rank of Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, beginning July 1, 2025. The closing date for applications is January 6, 2025. Application must be submitted online as PDF files through the Online Faculty Application System.
2. Assistant Professor opportunity in Troy, NY, USA - The Department of Science and Technology Studies (STS) in the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (HASS) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute seeks a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the areas of equitable design, sustainability and design, design justice, collaborative or participatory design, product design, industrial design, or object design. Applications received by January 10, 2025 will receive first consideration.
3. ASAC 2025 Volunteer Opportunity for conference series in next May - This year the Administrative Sciences Association of Canada (ASAC) annual conference will be hosted partially online and partially in-person, in collaboration with the University of Waterloo, May 13-14th and May 17-19th. There will be a mandatory online volunteer induction and training session. ASAC 2025 Volunteer Application Form.
4. CFP: Inaugural University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) Game Studies Conference—Liminality in Gaming - The 2025 interdisciplinary UNCG Game Studies Conference seeks proposals for academic, creative, or non-traditional scholarship engaging with the theme and related topics. We welcome proposals from undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, and independent and emerging scholars. We are interested in the interchanges that complicate so-called “binary” distinctions we discuss in and around gaming: virtual and real, personal and public, play and work, participation and observation, experience and text, etc. Proposals should include the following: a title; whether you would prefer your presentation to fill a full session or be part of a panel; whether you would join us in person or virtually; what game(s), if any, the Esports Arena should acquire if your proposal is accepted; a 250-word abstract. Submit your proposal via email at [email protected]

Member Testimonial

"The Games Institute was my home on campus while I was pursuing my Masters in Experimental Digital Media (MA English XDM) and continues to be through my PhD. The cross pollination of ideas in the GI community has been extraordinary, pushing my research in directions it might not have gone had I stuck to the English Department’s offices. The breadth of equipment available and the knowledge of the staff was invaluable to my thesis project. 3D modelling and printing enabled me to make the physical component for a prototype augmented reality civic monument. The community at GI is characterized by a spirit of sharing - of passion and of expertise - that makes it a truly fertile research environment. I’m looking forward to spending more time there again in the new year, and to kick my PhD research into high gear with the GI’s help. My work with Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality will be well enabled with lab and equipment access." - Jonathan Baltrusaitis , PhD Candidate in English Language and Literature

Where to Find Us

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