CALL FOR PROPOSALS

The UnSymposium 2011: Games, Play and Community
www.vw.unsymposium.org

Friday, Saturday and Sunday, November 4-6, 2011.

Virtual Worlds Graduate UnSymposium is a community building event that provides opportunities for graduate students, alumni, and educators to share innovative practices, network with colleagues, and explore opportunities for professional development, enhancing research, teaching, and learning. This UnSymposium is particularly interested in works in progress, sessions that provide ample opportunity for symposiast participation, and cutting edge uses of technology in education, research, and virtual worlds.

The Theme for 2011 is Games, Play and Community.

This is a fully online, free conference. Conference location will be in Second Life, Jokaygrid, World of Warcraft and other locations based on speaker and participant request.

The Virtual Worlds Graduate UnSymposium welcomes graduate work, presentations, facilitated discussions and non-traditional presentations from everyone. Possible topics include (but are not limited to):

1) Games and Virtual Worlds -What are you researching and what are you learning? Tell us what virtual worlds and games are out there. Please consider submitting discussions, thought pieces and experiments also. Potential topics include:

• The Future of Education in Games and Virtual Worlds
• Assessing and Evaluating Games and Virtual Worlds
• Alternate Reality Games
• Augmented Reality and Gaming
• Games Design for the Classroom
• Teaching through Games
• Mobile Games
• Case Studies of Games
• Exploration of New Games
• Hybrids or Games that allow content creation
• When the line blurs – virtual worlds/games
• Mixed Reality Games
• Storytelling and Narratives in Games
• Serious Games and Simulations

2)  Play – What are you playing? How are you and your students playing? What opportunities, networks, tools and techniques are available for learning and play? The focus is on the discovery of those opportunities, for play, learning,  research, practices your colleagues should know. Potential topics include:

• Immersion
• Reward Systems In Games
• Pointification
• Leveling
• Player Motivation and Learning
• Player Types/Student Learning Styles
• Reward Typologies
• Strategy and Tactics
• Roleplay
• Puppetmaster
• This is Not at Game
• Identity in Games
• Avatars and Toons
• PVE, PVP and Roleplay – Can’t We All Get Along
• Hero’s Journey and Archtypes in Games
• Grinding, Equipment and Loot
• What is a LEET player and how do they learn
• Strategy and Tactics
• Overcoming Challenges
• When Cheating Really Isn’t

3) Community – You’re not playing alone. So share what types of communities you are playing with and what type of communities you see developing when your students play. Potential topics include:

• Machinima as a way of sharing with the Community
• Games as Shared Narratives
• Mentors and Elders in Games
• Gaming and Networking
• Social Networks and Social Capital
• The Social Gamer
• Gaming as a Community
• Casual Game Play as a Community Building
• Reciprocity and Altruism in Games
• Cohorts in MMORPGs
• Guilds and Community Building
• Game Culture

Proposals are welcome from any and all. Please be creative, fun and engaging! Also, unusual formats, technologies, and the like are encouraged. Preferences will be given to proposals that utilize unusual formats, innovative technology and encourage participation from the symposiasts. Proposals about and in Virtual Worlds and MMORPGs other than Second Life are welcome.

The Program Group will be working with all presenters to assist in developing a singular and engaging experience for all participants.

http://vw.unsymposium.org/cfp-2011

To submit, please email [email protected]. Your proposal should be a doc, docx, or rtf by October 15, 2011. If you have any questions please email [email protected]

Thank you,

Kae Novak
SL: Kavon Zenovka
SL Group: UnSymposium
Jokaydigrid HQ: Center4EduPunx
Jokaygrid: Kavon Zenovka
Virtual Worlds Graduate UnSymposium www.vw.unsymposium.org
twitter: vwgus  #vwgus
YouTube: UnSymposium trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrvOVZy27ew

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