CFP: Game Studies Special Issues on Game Reward Systems

FP: Game Studies Special Issues on Game Reward Systems

Guest editors Mikael Jakobsson (mikael.jakobsson@mah.se) and Olli
Sotamaa (olli.sotamaa@uta.fi).

Digital games have a long history of rewarding players for their
efforts. It can be in the form of  treasures, items, easter eggs,
highscores, character outfits, achievements, or badges. The prolific use
of  rewards indicates that they play an important part in shaping the
gaming experience. On one hand, it seems  obvious that we enjoy being
rewarded, but on the other hand, it is harder to understand the
fascination  with these seemingly empty gestures, given their virtual
nature.

This special issue of Game Studies is dedicated to the exploration of
all aspects of game rewards and game  reward systems. We invite our
potential authors to think about the topic in relation to game culture
as  well as game design, but also hope to attract papers exploring
connections to other areas of research such  as psychology, sociology,
economy, education, and law. Possible topics include, but are not
limited to:
- Means for approaching and understanding game reward systems
- Reward typologies: characteristics and qualities
- The role of reward systems in relation to other game mechanics
- Player motivations in relation to game achievements
- History of reward systems within game culture and beyond
- Reward systems in social media applications
- Understanding rewards as motivators

The call is for full papers in English. All submissions will undergo a
double blind peer review process and  be reviewed by at least two
reviewers. Papers should be submitted to submit@gamestudies.com. Please
see   the Game Studies submission guidelines for further details: http://gamestudies.org/1001/submission_guidelines
Timeline
Submission deadline: 15th of August 2010
Publication: November - December 2010

About Game Studies
Our Mission - To explore the rich cultural genre of games; to give
scholars a peer-reviewed forum for their  ideas and theories; to provide
an academic channel for the ongoing discussions on games and gaming.
Game Studies is a crossdisciplinary journal dedicated to games
research, web-published several times a year at www.gamestudies.org.

Our primary focus is aesthetic, cultural and communicative aspects of
computer games, but any previously  unpublished article focused on games
and gaming is welcome. Proposed articles should be jargon-free, and should attempt to shed new light on games, rather than simply use games
as metaphor or illustration of some  other theory or phenomenon.

Please help us spread the call to anyone you think might be interested.
It is also available on the web at: http://gamestudies.org/1001/articles/cfp_game_reward_systems
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