DiGRAA 2025 will take place in the Bradley Forum Theatre at University of South Australia, City West Campus, in Adelaide, South Australia
Zoom Details TBA
The programme schedule uses Australian Central Daylight Time (ACDT/ UTC+10:30).
Day 1: Wednesday 5th February
Day 2: Thursday 6th February
Day 3: Friday 7th February
Experimental Track
Hawk Building Level 6 (H6-03 & H6-09)
We invite you to contribute to a three-day Game Studies conference held on Wednesday 5th, Thursday the 6th, and Friday the 7th of February, 2025, at the University of South Australia, City West Campus, in Adelaide, South Australia. Registration is free.
Friday 11 October 2024 – Submission deadline
Monday 4th November 2024 (approximately) – Notification of submission outcomes
Wednesday to Friday 5-7 February 2025 – Conference
The DiGRA Australia 2025 National Conference is an opportunity for games researchers, critics, designers, developers and artists at any career stages to share their work. We aim to provide an inclusive forum that reflects the diversity and vibrancy of Game Studies in Australia, and that allows interdisciplinary dialogues to critically engage with games, players and the culture that surrounds them.
DiGRA Australia 2025 will be hosted at the University of South Australia’s City West Campus in Adelaide, Australia. It will run as a hybrid conference, allowing both online and in-person attendance and presentations.
This year’s conference theme is “Communities of Practice and Play”. We want to hear about the latest research in the game studies community. We welcome submissions describing research and/or creative projects that are completed or still underway. Tell us about that idea you’ve been turning over in your mind that you’d like to test out in front of an audience!
For the first time, we also welcome experimental project submissions to a new Experimental Track. The Experimental Track accepts games, playful experiences, and interactive installations in an expansive scope, including game demos, websites, posters, live performances, board games, escape rooms, and anything that can be interacted with in an exhibition space.
This is the standard format for submissions to the DiGRAA conference. Extended abstracts of a maximum 800 words (excluding references) using the DiGRA Australia Template. Submissions do not have to be anonymised. Submissions will be reviewed by the DiGRA Australia programming committee.
Accepted Extended Abstracts will be presented at the conference as either a 10- or 15-minute talk (pending on ultimate number of accepted papers). In-person presenters will present live, and online presenters will be requested to provide a pre-recorded video to minimise technical issues. All presenters, in-person and online, are expected to be present in their session for a live Q&A.
Accepted Extended Abstracts will be archived on the DiGRA Australia website. Video presentations will be published on a dedicated YouTube channel (subject to permission). Aligning with DiGRAA social media policy, you will have the option not to have your video archived.
Extended abstracts are to be submitted via Google Form at this link.
In 2025, for the first time, DIGRA Australia will also be trialling a new submission format made with non-traditional research outputs (NTROs) in mind, specifically for those wishing to exhibit and present an experimental work at the conference. The Experimental Track exhibition will be programmed as part of the conference and is aimed at including industry and creative practitioners at DiGRA Australia. Conference attendees will have opportunities to mingle in the exhibition space and discuss the works.
Submissions to the Experimental Track include a description of the work and a research statement using the DiGRA Australia Experimental Track Template. Submissions do not have to be anonymised. Experimental submissions containing software must be able to run standalone or on a browser. Experimental submissions will be reviewed by the Experimental track programming committee (TBC).
Accepted works into the Experimental Track will be presented at the conference as a 5-minute lightning talk. Accepted works will be archived on the DiGRAA website. Presentation requirements, recording, and social media policy is the same as above.
Experimental works are to be submitted via Google Form at this link.
To ensure as many people as possible have the opportunity to present their work, only one submission may be made per lead author, per submission type, and individuals may present only one paper per submission type during the conference. There is no limit on secondary authorship.
To present at DiGRAA 2025 you will need to be a member of DiGRA Australia. Membership is optional for non-presenting authors. You do not need to be a member at the time of submission, only at the time of the conference. You do not need to be a member of DiGRA International.
DiGRA Australia conferences have a ‘grey list’ policy for accepted submissions that are withdrawn with no reason provided, or for which the presenter simply does not attend. Please familiarise yourself with the specifics of this policy here.
We advise potential authors to review the papers from previous DiGRA Australia conferences as a guide to the expected tone and quality. Some further tips:
Submissions from academics are typically expected to have references to reflect the author’s engagement with existing scholarship.
Abstract writing information session: Dr Jacqueline Burgess, an experienced conference abstract peer-reviewer, regular DiGRAA presenter and a member of the Executive, will facilitate an information session that will provide some tips and hints for writing and structuring your DiGRAA 2025 abstract and an introduction to DiGRAA for new attendees. There will also be time for questions. The session ran September 23rd 1pm-2pm QLD time. The recording is available to watch here.
Associate Professor Erik Champion, University of South Australia (Conference Co-Chair)
Dr Susie Emery, University of South Australia (Conference Co-Chair)
Sophia Booij, University of South Australia
George Martin, University of South Australia
Associate Professor G Stewart Von Itzstein, University of South Australia
Louise Trudgett-Klose, University of South Australia
Dr Sarven McLinton, University of South Australia
Corey McKechnie-Martin, University of South Australia
Dr Douglas Kelly, University of South Australia
Dr Lauren Woolbright, Flinders University
Shane Bevin, Flinders University
Dr Xavier Ho, Monash University
Dr James Manning, RMIT University
Jesus Cuauhtemoc Moreno Ramos, Serenade Games
Ashlee Borgkvist, University of South Australia
Josh McLean, University of South Australia
Steve Cook, University of Adelaide
Dear lovely DiGRA Australia members,
I’m saddened to inform you that I’ve decided to temporarily step down from my role as DiGRAA President, along with Madeleine Antonellos. This is due to recent events surrounding the conduct of the international DiGRA’s board.
Over the last few weeks, several board and committee members of international DiGRA, including myself, have resigned from our positions in protest of that board’s conduct. More information about this situation will be shared publicly in the coming weeks. In the meantime the ongoing situation places me in a conflicted position as president of DiGRA Australia, and so I’m regretfully stepping away from this position for the time being to ensure DiGRA Australia may continue to support the local game studies community.
In the meantime, the DiGRA Australia board has appointed Dr Brendan Keogh as interim President, who will act in the role until next year’s elections.
Please still feel free to reach out to either myself, Brendan, or other board members if you have any questions, concerns, or would like more information on the current situation.
I’m thankful and grateful for the wealth of support and kindness from our inclusive and wholesome community in DiGRA Australia. I love you all very much, and feel very lucky to be part of a wonderful cohort of colleagues and friends.
Even if I’m stepping down as DiGRA Australia President, please know that this community is and will always be my home. Thank you for being “my people” <3 I cherish you all so very much!
Warmly,
Mahli-Ann
The Digital Games Research Association Australia (DiGRAA) extends our profound gratitude to Dr Brendan Keogh for his exemplary leadership as our President from 2018 to 2023, and his service on the board up until he graciously stepped down from his position earlier this year. Dr Keogh is esteemed globally as one of the foremost scholars in game studies, and we are exceptionally fortunate to have him as a cornerstone of the Australian game studies community.
Dr Keogh’s outstanding contributions have transformed the field of game studies in Australia. Under his stewardship, DiGRAA has flourished as a bastion of multidisciplinary academic excellence, fostering critical dialogue, collaboration, and exponential growth. Dr Keogh was an inaugural recipient of the Dr April Tyack Distinguished Scholar award in recognition of his ongoing dedication to mentorship and community-building efforts in fostering diversity and inclusivity. His commitment has left an indelible legacy, cultivating a welcoming and vibrant community that will continue to thrive for years to come.
Thank you, Dr Keogh, for your unwavering guidance and support. Your leadership steered us through the challenges of COVID-19, as the only DiGRA Chapter that continued annual national conferences online. Your excellence in research and writing has inspired us to become better academic thinkers and writers, while your presence in the community has always been welcoming to newcomers, and made all of us better people. As you step down from your service on the board, please know that your impact endures and your efforts will be forever deeply appreciated.
While Tampere counts Time-to-Huizinga, DiGRAA proudly celebrates counting Keogh citations!
With heartfelt gratitude,
The DiGRAA board
Since DiGRAA’s founding in 2014, we are proud to be internationally recognised as “the local DiGRA chapter to model” and to be known as the “friendliest conference” and “most welcoming and supportive research community.” We believe we have only earned this reputation due to the contributions of core community members like Dr April Tyack. Dr April Tyack served as DiGRAA’s Vice President from 2018 to 2021 and epitomised the type of dedication to academic discourse and community-building efforts focused on improving diversity and inclusivity in games studies, which we strive to uphold as a group. Though Dr April Tyack’s bright academic career was far too short, her impact will be felt for many years to come.
The April Tyack’s DiGRAA Distinguished Scholars are named in honour of DiGRAA’s former Vice President Dr April Tyack, who made our community better.
These accolades serve to celebrate Dr April Tyack’s life and her lasting contributions to Antipodean game studies, as well as formally recognise the indispensable but often invisible advocacy and mentorship that defines DiGRAA—what makes, sustains, and grows our community. To be eligible for selection, the academic must be a DiGRA Australia member whose ongoing support has helped cultivate our local game studies talent.
| Inaugural Class (2024) | |
Marcus Carter | Dr Marcus Carter is an Australian Research Council Future Fellow and Associate Professor in Digital Cultures at The University of Sydney. He is also currently director of the Sydney Games and Play Lab. His research focuses on digital games and emerging mixed reality technologies, and he is the author of several books including Treacherous Play (2022) and Fantasies of Virtual Reality (2024). Marcus co-founded DiGRA Australia in 2014, and has served as Treasurer (2014-2015), President (2015-2018) and as a board member (2018-2021, 2023-Present). |
Dan Golding | A/Prof Dan Golding (he/him) is Interim Chair of the Department of Media and Communication at Swinburne University, and the author of two books, including Game Changers with Leena van Deventer. He also created the soundtrack for the BAFTA, DICE, and GDCA winning Untitled Goose Game (2019), as well as Mars First Logistics (2023), and the Frog Detective series. Dan helped host DiGRA International when it came to Australia in 2017, and was co-chair of DiGRA Australia in 2016. Before that, Dan wrote games journalism and was director of the Freeplay Independent Games Festival (2014-2017). |
Brendan Keogh | Dr Brendan Keogh (he/him) is a senior lecturer in the School of Communication and a chief investigator of the Digital Media Research Centre, Queensland University of Technology. He is the co-author of The Unity Game Engine and The Circuits of Cultural Software (Palgrave Macmillan, 2019; with Benjamin Nicoll), and is the author of The Videogame Industry Does Not Exist (MIT Press, 2023) A Play of Bodies: How We Perceive Videogames (MIT Press, 2018) and Killing is Harmless: A Critical Reading of Spec Ops The Line (Stolen Projects, 2012). He has written extensively about the cultures and development practices of videogames in journals such as Games and Culture, Creative Industries, and Convergence, and for outlets such as Overland, The Conversation, Polygon, Edge, and Vice. He served as President of DiGRA Australia from 2018 – 2022, and chaired DiGRA Australia’s 2020 National Conference. |
Awarded Distinguished Scholars are presented with an engraved plaque. On the plaques, a duck image was chosen to represent Dr Tyack’s beloved signature duck backpack.
Award Committee 2024
Each year, the Distinguished Scholars will be judged by the four executive members of the DiGRAA board. Academics already recognised with this honour will also be invited to participate in the selection committee for future years.
The inaugural 2024 Distinguished Scholars have been decided by DiGRAA President Mahli-Ann Butt, Vice President Erin Maclean, Secretary Stephanie Harkin, and Treasurer Madeleine Antonellos.
Future Iterations
For future iterations of the April Tyack’s Distinguished Scholar award, we will invite DiGRAA members to nominate their peers and mentors who they believe have contributed to our DiGRAA game studies community in this way and should be recognised by this award. These nominations will help inform our decisions to ensure that deserving recognitions are not overlooked.
Complaint Procedures
Ultimately, the Distinguished Scholars are named in the spirit of Dr April Tyack; those who we believe do not embody this spirit—or Dr April Tyack would not wish to recognise—are not eligible for the award, even if their contributions are significant.
If you believe an awarded or nominated Distinguished Scholar does not represent Dr April Tyack’s legacy, you can submit your concern to the current president for review:
~ About Dr April Tyack ~
Please see Dan Golding’s thoughtful obituary ‘In Memory of April Tyack’ to learn more about Dr April Tyack’s legacy.
To attend online via Zoom: https://unimelb.zoom.us/j/85152486682?pwd=aXZZOTJ2MFI4Z1kyS3RrZTJNeG93Zz09
Zoom Password: 561926
Attendance is free, and no registration is required!
The full programme schedule uses Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT/ UTC+11) and is available here: https://digraa.org/post/digraa-2024-conference-programme/
No service/service changes on Swanston Street, University of Melbourne trams! https://yarratrams.com.au/service-changes/swanston-street-melbourne-university-renewal-works
There are tram works on Swanston Street next week!
If you are coming to UniMelb from the city, you can still get the 19 tram.
The 19 will take you up Royal Parade.
Get off at “Stop 12: Morrah Street.”
Then enter via Gate 14.
Map directions from Stop 12/Gate 14 to Glen Davis Building (Melbourne School of Design): https://link.mazemap.com/6v8I0BbN
DiGRAA 2024 will take place in the Glyn Davis (Melbourne School of Design), Building 133, University of Melbourne, Parkville (3010):
To attend online via Zoom: https://unimelb.zoom.us/j/85152486682?pwd=aXZZOTJ2MFI4Z1kyS3RrZTJNeG93Zz09
Zoom Password: 561926
The programme schedule uses Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT/ UTC+11).
Day 0: Sunday 11 February
| 5:00pm – 9:00pm | Boardgames @ Pause Menu ヾ(о-ω･)ﾉ⌒★ 74 Rose Street, Fitzroy (map | directions) |
Day 1: Monday 12 February
| 9:00am | Registration (^-^*)/ Level G, Foyer | |
| Welcome Breakfast ♨(⋆‿⋆)♨ Level B, Basement Foyer | ||
| 9:50am | Welcome ٩(`･ω･´)و ☀️ Level B, The Malaysian Theater | Mahli-Ann Butt & Lucy Sparrow |
| 10:00am | ✨Keynote✨ | Chair: Mahli-Ann Butt |
| The power of multiplayer game design: Or why players are not necessarily The Worst | ✨Dr Lucy Sparrow✨ | |
| Q&A (15 min) | ||
| 11:00am | Morning Tea ☕ Level B, Basement Foyer | |
| 11:30am | Session 1 – The Games Industry Level B, The Malaysian Theater | Chair: Melissa Rogerson |
| Modding Video Game Brand Authenticity | Jacqueline Burgess & Jessica Whyman | |
| The Dream Job Just Doesn’t Exist: Analysing the Current Games Journalism Landscape | Ryan Stanton | |
| The Lands Before-During-After Times: Reimagining Game Industry Events ‘Post’-COVID-19 | Taylor Hardwick & Mahli-Ann Butt | |
| Precarity and professionalism of Indonesian mobile game e-sports | Haryo Pambuko Jiwandono | |
| Q&A (20 mins) | ||
| 12:30pm | Lunch ♨(⋆‿⋆)♨ Level B, Basement Foyer | |
| 1:30pm | Session 2 – New Perspectives on Design Level B, The Malaysian Theater | Chair: Nellie Seale |
| Ambiguities of Game Design and the Challenge of the Walking Simulator | Alexander Muscat | |
| Hour of the Wolf – An Investigation into Puzzle Design for Live Theatre | David Harris | |
| Speaking of Time: Time-centric Language in Video Game Marketing and User Reviews on Steam | Thomas Byers | |
| Cross-platform storytelling in Dungeons & Dragons: How players use technology to explore and create stories in D&D | Ruby Edwards, Martin Gibbs, Lucy Sparrow & Tamara Kohn | |
| Q&A (20 min) | ||
| 2:30pm | Session 3 – Game Histories Level B, The Malaysian Theater | Chair: Taylor Hardwick |
| Preserving and Emulating Australian Made Videogames of the 1990s | Cynde Moya, Helen Stuckey, Melanie Swalwell & Denise de Vries | |
| Archival Challenges for Inclusive Games History | Stephanie Harkin | |
| From Mountain Ranges to Markets: Historicising Virtual Worlds | Finn Dawson | |
| Q&A (15 min) | ||
| 3:15pm | Afternoon Tea ☕ Level B, Basement Foyer | |
| 3:45pm | Session 4 – Design Influences Level B, The Malaysian Theater | Chair: James Manning |
| The Legacy of Tabletop Role-Playing Games: Shaping Contemporary Game Design | Marc Wainwright & Adam Ho | |
| Myth and Misattribution: Comparing Common Conceptions of the Hero’s Journey against Joseph Campbell | Jacqueline Moran | |
| Workshopping the Play Community: Reflections on the role of pre-LARP workshops in Dance of Ribbons LARP | Josiah Lulham & David Harris | |
| Exploring the Influence of Game Designers’ Values and Thought-Processes in Practice | Mifrah Ahmad | |
| Q&A (20 min) | ||
| 4:45pm | Close | Lucy Sparrow & Mahli-Ann Butt |
| 5:00pm | Student Pizza Social ♡(◕ᗜ◕✿) Danda-Gat-Ith, Level 5, Melbourne Connect, 700 Swanston Street. | Nellie Seale |
| 6:30pm | Drinks @ The Clydeヾ(о-ω･)ﾉ⌒★ (map) 385 Cardigan St, Carlton 3053 |
Day 2: Tuesday 13 Feb
Day 3: Wednesday 14 February
| 9:20am | Announcements ٩(`･ω･´)و ☀️ Level B, The Malaysian Theater | Lucy Sparrow & Mahli-Ann Butt |
| 9:30am | Session 11 – Games for Museums and Cultural Heritage Level B, The Malaysian Theater | Chair: Xavier Ho |
| Narrative-Based Games for learning in GLAMS: Overcoming professional hesitancies through an introductory guide | Sophia Booij | |
| LORE-Drop: Museum Game Design | Nellie Seale, Wally Smith, & Melissa Rogerson | |
| Augmented Reality Game Design for Cultural Heritage | Yifan Kong [Online] | |
| Bioshock Infinite and Indigenous Tales: The Potential of Game Media in Expressing Australian Aboriginal Culture | Neo Xia | |
| Q&A (20 min) | ||
| 10:30am | Morning Tea ☕ Level B, Basement Foyer | |
| 11:00am | Session 12 – Making Sense of and in Games Level B, The Malaysian Theater | Chair: Larry May |
| The Ghost in the Machine: Legend-Tripping, Hypermodern Ostension and Ontological Bleed in the Grand Theft Auto Series | Andrea Andiloro | |
| Action Paths: A Typology of Strategy Selection | Sidney Icarus [Online] | |
| Synthesising the Real: How Players Navigate the Representation of Reality in Video Games | Benn Van Den Ende, & Sian Tomkinson [Online] | |
| The analyst’s videogame: On psychoanalytic formalism | Benjamin Nicoll | |
| Q&A (20 min) | ||
| 12:00pm | Session 13 – Politics and Identity Level B, The Malaysian Theater | Chair: Lee Cope |
| ‘A political statement, whether you understand that or not’: Inclusive Gender Expression in Avatar Customization | Yisong Han & Xavier Ho | |
| Beyond “Representation”: Shooter Videogames and Mediated Feminisms in New Discourse | Erin Maclean [Online] | |
| Alt-right in gaming spaces in Italy and in Australia. A comparative analysis | Giulio Pitroso [Online] | |
| Playing with Integrity: Videogame Involvement and Moral Identity | Thomas Coghlan | |
| Q&A (20 min) | ||
| 1:00pm | Lunch ♨(⋆‿⋆)♨ Level B, Basement Foyer | |
| 2:00pm | Session 14 – Relating to Others Level B, The Malaysian Theater | Chair: Steph Harkin |
| NPC Empathy: A Philosophical Paradox | Paul Scriven | |
| Parasocial Relations in the Gaming Landscape | Lee Cope | |
| Romance as the “real challenge”?: The implications of absent dialogue icons in Baldur’s Gate 3 | Amy Brierley-Beare | |
| “Where there is trash talk, there is a story and excitement” – A symbolic convergence approach towards understanding trash talk, narratives and spectator perspectives in FPS esports | Sidney Irwin, Anjum Naweed & Michele Lastella | |
| Q&A (20 min) | ||
| 3:00 | Session 15 – Multiverse Research Level B, The Malaysian Theater | Chair: Lucy Sparrow |
| Everything Ethnography All At Once: Reflecting on a Team Ethnography of SXSW Sydney | Fraser Allison, Mahli-Ann Butt, Marcus Carter, Kate Clark, Finn Dawson,Taylor Hardwick, Mark Johnson, Brendan Keogh, Mads Mackenzie, Ryan Stanton & Frank Meixiao Wang | |
| Q&A (15 min) | ||
| 3:25pm | DiGRAA Best Paper Award °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖° Level B, The Malaysian Theater | Melissa Rogerson |
| 3:30pm | Close | Mahli-Ann Butt & Lucy Sparrow |
| 3:45pm | CAKE TIME (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ヽ(⌐■_■)ノ♪♬ Level B, Basement Foyer |
We are looking for student volunteers to help us ensure the DiGRAA 2024 conference runs smoothly. Please nominate your interest here: https://forms.gle/fWne7xmfndi2aiiP8
When and where will the conference be?
The conference will be held at the Parkville Campus at the University of Melbourne from Feb 12-14, 2024. Each of the 3 days runs from ~9am to ~6pm. This will be a hybrid conference with online participation options.
What will I be asked to do?
Your primary role will be to help us ensure the conference runs smoothly. Depending on your availability, you may be asked to assist with tasks like registering attendees in the morning, packing up catering, answering attendees’ questions and providing directions, and making sure everybody feels included and welcome.
What do I get out of it?
You will have lots of networking opportunities, and you are welcome to attend any of the talks and ask presenters questions. There will be free food. Student volunteering also looks great on a CV!
How do I sign up?
Please fill in your details in this form. We ask that you share a bit about why you’re interested in being a student volunteer to help us understand who would benefit from this position the most. If your application is successful, we will be in touch via the email you provide.
Expressions of interest are due by Friday, Feb 2.
What if I have further questions?
Please feel free to email the conference co-chairs Lucy Sparrow (lucy.sparrow@unimelb.edu.au) and/or Mahli-Ann Butt (mahliann.butt@unimelb.edu.au).
Congratulations again on having your work accepted for presentation at the DiGRA Australia Conference 2024! Please submit the final version of your abstract using this form: https://forms.gle/UGvpVfDVPWy8Nc876
Please submit your camera-ready abstract by January 19, 2024.
Please check that your submission is not anonymised, that you have included a brief biography section for all authors at the end of the paper (before the references), and that your submission is attached as a .docx or (preferably) .pdf file.
Presentations will be 10 minutes each.