On Tuesday February 2 the Centre for the Study of Digital Games and Play (GAP) will host its fifth seminar at Muntstraat 2a, room 1.11 from 15:00-17:00 with drinks afterwards. The aim of these regular meet-ups is to create a physical space for game scholars and excellent students to present research, to provide room for game-related discussions, and to expand our academic and professional network. This meeting, we will share three game-related projects from Utrecht University dealing with: the politics of playful cartography, identity and identity in digital games, and intergenerational game design.

Casual Power: Understanding User Interfaces through Quantification
Alex Gekker, Utrecht University, Department of Media and Culture Studies.
This presentation examines the interrelations of digital maps, power, technology and interfaces, asking how is power (or attempts of it) being exerted through mutable reconfiguration of geographical signs on screens and the databases behind them.

Identity and Gender in Game Avatars
Gui Wei, Utrecht University, Department of Media and Culture Studies.
In my dissertation I approach the game avatar as research object. From the perspective of embodiment, I explore concepts of corporeality, sex, and gender in online digital games. I introduce the concept of synchronicity as “missing link” between theories on virtual/real, human/machine, and the body in the physical/digital world.

Exploring the possibilities of intergenerational digital game design
Eugène Loos, Utrecht University, School of Governance; Monique Simons, Geosciences; Teresa de la Hera, Department of Media and Culture Studies.
This explorative study aims to shed light on intergenerational digital game design patterns. The question is how intergenerational gaming between older and younger individuals (e.g. grandparents and grandchildren) can be designed and used to promote their mental, physical and social wellbeing/bonding.

Date: Tuesday February 2, 2016
Time: 15:00 – 17:00 + drinks
Location: Muntstraat 2a, room 1.11
Registration: Please register via e-mail