CfP: Special issue of the British Journal of Chinese Studies on Games and Gaming in China and the Sinophone world (Deadline abstracts: 2021-05-03)

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Intended publication date: July 2022

Deadline for abstracts (max 500 words): May 3rd 2021

Deadline for full papers (9000 word max for research articles; 1500 words max for short essays): November 29th 2021

The British Journal of Chinese Studies invites submissions of abstracts for research articles and short essays on topics related to gaming in China and the Sinophone world. Digital gaming has become a huge industry in China: the PRC alone generated 68.5 billion yuan in revenue in the third quarter of 2020 and is now home to an estimated 661 million gamers. Digital games are closely integrated with other cultural industries, including streaming media, broadcast television, film, and online literature. The implications of digital gaming for Chinese Studies are yet to be fully explored. The aim of this special issue is to further discussion of how studying gaming can contribute to understanding of the arts, humanities, and social sciences in China and other Sinophone contexts, as well as how researching gaming in China can contribute to better understanding of global games, gaming culture, and related subjects. We would welcome submissions on topics and approaches that include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Gaming theories, such as ludology, narratology, immersion, intermediality, affect, genre, space, presence, mixed reality, and posthumanism
  • Gaming and popular culture
  • Gender in digital game design, gaming practices, and the games industry
  • Gaming and history, e.g. how historical games allow specific forms of engagement with historical narratives and settings
  • Live streaming, especially sites like DouYu and its parent company Huya, and the implications of streaming for gaming behaviours and community formation
  • Taiwanese games (such as horror games Detention and Devotion) and cross-straits gaming politics
  • In-game social and economic activities, such as gambling, marriage, and protest
  • Diversity in games, including as relates to ethnicity, sexuality, regional, and gender identity  
  • Religion in games and games as (quasi-)religious experience
  • Digital games and daily life
  • Cultural and moral attitudes towards gaming and e-sports
  • Discourses of gaming addiction and concerns related to excessive and/or extreme gaming practices
  • Censorship of in-game content and gaming regulations (such as curfews, internet addiction treatments, and real-name registration)
  • Gamification of culture and society outside of digital games themselves
  • Trends in Sinophone academic discourse on gaming

Please submit an abstract of no more than 500 words to Dr. Heather Inwood, hi208@cam.ac.uk, by May 3rd 2021. Successful submission proposals will be selected and their authors notified no later than May 17th 2021, and full articles and essays will be due by November 29th 2021, for publication in the July 2022 issue of the British Journal of Chinese Studies. Full guidelines for the preparation of both research articles and short essays are available on the journal website, https://bjocs.site.

Any questions about this special issue should be directed to Dr. Heather Inwood, hi208@cam.ac.uk.

The British Journal of Chinese Studies is a peer-reviewed, open-access e-journal published by the British Association for Chinese Studies (BACS). Its editors are Professor Gerda Wielander of the University of Westminster, Dr. Heather Inwood of the University of Cambridge, and Dr. Gregory Scott of the University of Manchester.