[game_edu] CFP

[S. Gold]

The research group Ludiciné from the University of Montreal, in
collaboration with the Research Group on the Creation and Formation of
Cinematographic and Theatrical Institutions (GRAFICS) from the
University of Montreal and the NT2 Laboratory on Hypermedia Art and
Literature from the University of Quebec in Montreal, solicits your
proposals for the bilingual (French/English) international conference
titled «Thinking after Dark: Welcome to the World of Horror Video
Games». This conference will be held in Montréal from April 23 to 25, 2009.

Call for papers

As fear is the oldest and strongest emotion of mankind (Lovecraft),
human beings have always taken a malicious pleasure in frightening
themselves. If literature and cinema were and still represent good means
for the expression of horror, nowadays, the experience of fear is as
intense in video games.

While academia has been studying horrific literature and films for a few
decades, such an interest for the videoludic side of horror has not,
until now, showed up. Yet, since the cinematic staging of fear in Alone
in the Dark in 1992, the Survival Horror has become a prolific genre
offering a wide selection of significant games such as the Resident
Evil, Silent Hill and Fatal Frame series. Because it is at the
crossroads of diverse cultural heritages and the latest technological
developments, and because it exhibits the ins and outs of the matrix
that governs all but a few games (spatial navigation and survival),
horror video games require a deeper study.

This international conference wishes to study horror video games (not
necessarily labeled survival horror) from an eclectic range of critical
and theoretical perspectives. It aims to fill a gap in game studies
between general theory and analysis of particular genres and games.

Possible Topics
Here are some examples of relevant themes we wish to explore in this
conference:

Historical approach
- Origins and history of horror video games
- Impact of the technological evolution on horror video games

Theoretical approach
- Simulation of horror, fear, terror
- Narratives and themes of horror video games

Transmedial approach
- Transmedial study of horror video games (Games/Films/Literature)
- Remediation in films, literature and video games

Socio-cultural approach
- Transnational analysis of horror video games (United States/Japan)
- Social and cultural meanings of horror video games
- Horror video games and censorship

Analytical approach
- Aesthetics of horror video games (lighting, sound, editing, 1st/3rd
person perspective)
- Study of specific games or series (Alone in the Dark, Resident Evil,
Fatal Frame, etc.)

The organizing committee remains open to proposals that respect the
general spirit of this call for papers.

Please submit your proposals no later than January 15, 2009 at the
following e-mail address: <thinking.after.dark at ca.inter.net>. Acceptance
and rejection notifications will be sent by the beginning of February.

Your proposal must include:

1. The title of your paper and an abstract (no more that 500 words).
2. Your academic status, your institutional affiliation, your department
and your contact information (mailing address, telephone number, fax
number and e-mail address)
3. A short biography underlining your work related to the themes of the
conference (no more than 250 words).

A selection of papers will be published in a special issue of LoadingŠ,
the journal of the Canadian Game Study Association.

For further information, please visit our website:
<http://conference2009.ludicine.ca>.

Organizing committee
Bernard Perron, Conference Head, Associate Professor, Department of Art
History and Film Studies, University of Montreal
Martin Picard, coordinator, research group Ludicine, University of Montreal
Richard Bégin, Invited Professor in Film Studies, Literatures
Departement, Laval University.
Carl Therrien, research group Ludicine, University of Montreal
Dominic Arsenault, research group Ludicine, University of Montreal
Guillaume Roux-Girard, research group Ludicine, University of Montreal

-- 
Bernard Perron
Professeur agrégé
Université de Montréal
Département d'histoire de l'art et d'études cinématographiques
C.P. 6128  Succ. Centre-ville
Montréal (Québec)
H3C 3J7   CANADA
Téléphone : (514) 343-7384
Télécopieur : (514) 343-2393
Courriel : bernard.perron at umontreal.ca ou perronb at total.net
Site web : http://www.ludicine.ca/



-- 
Susan Gold
goldfile at gmail.com

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all."
Oscar Wilde

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