Playful by Design Interdisciplinary Games Studies Spring Symposium

The Illinois Program for Research in the Humanities (IPRH) Playful by Design research group is pleased to announce that registration is now open for the 2018 Interdisciplinary Game Studies Spring Symposium, co-sponsored by the iSchool, Illinois Informatics, and the Illinois Program for Research in the Humanities.

The three day event begins Thursday, April 5th, at 3:00 p.m. in the Spurlock Museum Central Core Gallery with a reception for the opening of a new exhibit: "Past Time Pastimes: Vintage Board Games," which will run from April 5th to July 8th. Presentations following the reception will feature Dan Cermak, "Behind the Dice: War in Games 1895 - 1950," and David Dubin, "Central Illinois Games and Gamers: Some highlights of the last half century." 

A full day of events are planned for Friday, April 6th in new Armory Innovation Spaces, including panels and round table discussions on topics ranging from game design in education and entertainment, to the use of games in teaching and research, to community gaming and e-sports. An all day, drop-in, Open House Session invites students, staff, faculty or members of the CU community to share their video and table-top games in development.  

A screening in the Armory Auditorium of The Lost Arcade, a film by Kurt Vincent and Irene Chin, will begin on Friday at 11:30 a.m. As the film's website describes it: "The Lost Arcade is the critically acclaimed documentary about the last hold out of old-school arcade culture in New York City. An intimate portrait of the passionate and exceptionally diverse community at the beloved Chinatown Fair, The Lost Arcade, chronicles the evolution of arcades, while celebrating the camaraderie and history of a pop culture phenomenon." 

The Keynote Address for the Symposium will occur on Friday at 4:00 p.m. in Armory Auditorium. Presented by game designer Colleen Macklin, it is entitled "Gaming the System: How Games Make Meaning in a Mixed-up World."

The final event of the Symposium will be a Games and Gaming Make-a-thon at the Champaign-Urbana Community Fablab on Saturday, April 7th, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., in coordination with  CUDO Plays. 

You can see the full schedule HERE. 

All events are free and open to the public. Registration is encouraged for Thursday and Friday events, and required for the Make-a-thon. You may register HERE.

For more information about the Thursday Spurlock Event, please contact Kim Sheahan. For information about the Friday Armory event, contact Judith Pintar, and for information about the Saturday Make-a-thon, contact Jeff Ginger.