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CALL FOR PAPERS
Special Issue GAMEVIRONMENTS
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Teaching with Games: Educational Gaming in Religion, Philosophy and Ethics
edited by Tim Hutchings
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This special issue invites contributions that address the history and
future of educational gaming, with particular attention to the fields of
religious studies, theology, philosophy and ethics. While the
representation and influence of religion in mainstream games has been
studied extensively, we argue that much less attention has been paid to
games developed specifically for the purpose of exploring religious,
ethical and philosophical perspectives. This issue challenges that
oversight, calling for fresh attention to the ways in which games and
gaming have been adopted for didactic purposes within religious
communities, ethical campaign groups, academic contexts and beyond. We
invite discussion of any and all kinds of games, including videogames,
boardgames and other game formats.
Since the 1980s, more than 1500 videogames have been created by and for
religious communities, as demonstrated by the extraordinary archive
produced by Vivian Gonzalez (http://secure-web.cisco.com/1pWhZ6dWi6mqFxv8h7gJjQ-JkEWSBEA6do6k1Z4YXKUGnzlTwwlXxk3XHqps4zGLVoeEzqTq9lpKcMEaU_gAKYsrp3sgRF1biA0mwmip3fqt5NzZ10jZUdvZjaRUMiaxqDtnBx9Nf1OpVmEIzrGR2AydlYTZnxMs7jSjwGh_2dGDvy1rJY6Pr7jqqW803Qm6V2_P48Ia-xDxzKO327ebNF5r5ZCr0C0k9a99-0FgMZ9aOMiD9-A8j_ZU62YD2kjCzSQak1S7P0HxvyLzVnB5D70rZLDyR3goLRZAGX32QQ9bfO4R5iH-3TbEOzlH0DBN5e237itucfaGncay_4xoyaMlyHu-T8IfovxyUk5IS30NL_O6IATNGJixnvqcvh6znXjUbim5YjPLuewsHdhPF3Ep2qlmIWAkHdQlZbwuWTX3Uot-ZzGbX7Zl5G4W8JcJ5/http%3A%2F%2Fwww.religiousgames.org%2F). Videogames
and playful virtual environments have also been produced by academic
teams for educational purposes, from elaborate religious environments
constructed in Second Life to new virtual reality settings that locate
the user within religious and ethical situations. One pioneering example
is The Durga Puja Mystery, an educational game created by Xenia Zeiler
and Flying Robot Studios in 2020. Other games take a more questioning
approach to religion and ethics, forcing players to reckon with the
consequences of religious hypocrisy and spiritual abuse, or challenging
players to wrestle with moral conundrums that threaten to compromise
their values and commitments. What unites these games, and gives a
shared focus to this special issue, is their intention to guide the
player through a process of change and formation.
This special issue invites contributions in a wide range of formats.
Peer-reviewed journal articles are welcomed, but we will also consider
research reports, game reviews, interviews with game developers, reports
from the classroom and reports on games currently under development.
Potential authors are encouraged to contact the editor to discuss ideas
for theme and format.
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Interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary projects are welcome, including
research informed by religious studies, philosophy and other humanities
disciplines. Topics may include, but are not limited to:
* studies of games from all religious, spiritual or ethical traditions
* games inspired by sacred texts and stories
* games that promote social justice or social change
* philosophical analysis of the ethics of educational/formational games
* studies of discourses around gaming in religious or educational
contexts
* evaluation of the impact of educational games in religious or
ethical settings
* new trends and developments in educational or formative gaming
* educational uses of innovative gaming technologies, including
virtual reality
* case studies of innovative educational games
* reports on the use of games in the classroom
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SUBMISSION DETAILS
Journal articles should be 5-8000 words in length and will be subject to
double-blind peer review. Reviews, interviews and other formats will be
reviewed by the special issue editor. Submission guidelines can be found
here and the journal style guide can be found here:
https://secure-web.cisco.com/1zsVMxJRQkhcrrF1moHS_phcbIvYDyaSuVGfC0035M9UvwNOpWXigEm8qf6or0Ley6_xPdW9FVF82OiJzpecY-wpClocR5l-ShrQbZ_vjcrNoSJqUm-H-2HMPuPq2BzkBu5jEtwTIk3YwjVvBcpglFHLD2AxvoTr3XrQlLS4rXlHhZuJ6v70bJCajefUqUuvyAisTk6g_O_2eVm_crLhfcqfFosz6dkpdlrBUBCnSP3kDd9O1Zkoufrt2y-7s3ESw7DxayPQ4qBfk6lJ7RNDrFRlWN4pVUSYZlVb8f8geBjdNvu57EOXZ9gqs5wMDnHoh6JNntutzMVGO3ZyDVFjcU6BAn_ef-VyPVgoSA5Zm4LlXeSSLfIp0TRe_gqldgsIDTVOfdI4HDIJjfI_KBMn_6fcYeCqjlRu9niNI5piOnnx0CoU_E6CYQptqeZGXwZkFVQ-WkV5tJHA7d07sW78j4w/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gamevironments.uni-bremen.de%2Fsubmission-guideline%2F.
There is no article processing charge.
Authors are encouraged to use images but will be required to request
permission from copyright-holders when needed.
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TIMELINE
For all contributions, please submit a title, a 300-word abstract and a
100-word biographical statement about each author. Send this to guest
editor Tim Hutchings ([log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>) by 30 June 2022.
Abstract submission: 30 June 2022
Notification of acceptance of abstracts: 15 July 2022
Full text submission of all contributions: 15 December 2022