Game Design

Submission topics include, but are not limited to:

• Games that improve the daily lives of people  

• Serious/purposeful games (games for education, health, and sustainability amongst others)

• New approaches and elements in the design of games

• Design of novel game experiences

• Methods in Games User Research

• Games and Culture

• Augmented and virtual reality in a play context

• Games and accessibility

• Games in Industry

• Gamification

• AI and Games

• Ubiquitous games

• Future of games

Submissions can include original work related to any of the forms mentioned below or beyond 

• Tabletop games (Board games, card games)

• Digital/Video games

• Simulations

• Narrative and Thematic games

• Toys 

• Phygital play interfaces

• Play activities

• Gamified systems and applications

Important Dates

• May 24, 2024: Submission Portal opens                                                                                          

• August 5, 2024: Submission Closes

• August 31, 2024: Authors will be notified of the decision

• September 10, 2024: Submission of final Camera-ready version

(All deadlines close at 23:59 IST)

Call for Papers - Submission Summary

• Submissions to the game design track can be made in two forms: Demo, and Short Paper.

• Both submissions must be made through Microsoft CMT. 

• Anonymisation: Demos are non-anonymised. Short Papers are anonymized  

• Submissions for demos and short papers should be made in Springer LNCS format. The submissions should be 6 to 8 pages, excluding references and appendices. Short papers can include work-in-progress or position papers.

• Submissions for demos will require a 5-minute video explaining the gameplay and game specifications in addition to the extended abstract. At the conference, all selected demos will be exhibited. Author bios should be mentioned in the paper. They are not counted towards the page limit. 

• Short papers will have to be presented through a 15-minute presentation. 

• One of the authors per submission is required to register for the conference. 

• Papers that do not meet the camera-ready publication criteria will not be included in the conference proceedings.

• Demos and short papers that do not qualify the criteria of originality, novelty, and alignment to the theme will not be included. This will be assessed by a jury of expert reviewers.

Submission category

Your submission can fall into one of the following two categories: 

A) Demo and B) Short Paper

Demo Paper

This category includes playable demos, partially made games (but with full concept), etc. All selected demonstrations will be exhibited at the conference. 

Demos submitted by student participants (students enrolled in full-time courses in universities) will automatically enter into a student game design competition. Finalists will give a brief presentation about their games. This is subject to verification of the student status of the authors. 

A demo submission should include the following

• Extended abstract: Authors should submit a non anonymized paper (6 to 8 pages) written in the Springer LNCS format. An overview of the game itself, and the design and development process, with possibly screenshots/images of play. The positioning of the game in terms of related work, including references and outlining the game’s unique contribution. In the case of applied games, a description of the context and the rationale for the game is required. 

• Gameplay video: 5-minute video explaining the gameplay in HD resolution (1920 px ✕ 1080 px), 20 MB. This should take the form of a 5-minute maximum gameplay video clearly showing both the screen (if present) and the player interacting with the game. If the game is not yet fully complete, authors could also submit a Wizard of Oz implementation of the game with justification on why the game is incomplete (e.g., technology is not yet there, and needs massive resources).

• Game specifications: The following details should be mentioned explicitly in a separate file of the submission package: Duration of gameplay, number of players, Age appropriateness, Status of the game, and description of an ideal space to play the game (outdoors, indoors, space allowing movements, power requirements, etc. )

Short paper

Research on games can be submitted in the form of a short paper (refer to the submission format). These papers will have presentations at the conference.

Submission for short papers for games track should include: 

• Extended abstract: Authors should submit an anonymized paper (6 to 8 pages) written in the Springer LNCS Format. The paper can be written for any of the topics listed earlier and address any dimension listed below: 

  1. Experiments with existing or developed games

  2. Qualitative or quantitative studies showing preliminary results 

  3. “Sequels” to a prior research contribution 

  4. “Prequels” to motivate or stimulate novel conversations or future work 

  5. Theoretical or methodological contributions that provoke disciplinary conversations

  6. Alternative and/or contradictory thoughts on games, play, toys, and allied concepts.

• Optional Demo: Submissions for short papers can also choose to setup a demo if there is any. There is no separate submission required for this accompanying demo. But please write to the chairs (Malay Dhamelia (malay.n.dhamelia@gmail.com), Sandeep Athavale (sandeepathavale@yahoo.com) and Aakash Johry (aakash@design.iitd.ac.in)) at the time of submission to get a demo space.

Review Process

Each category of submission follows a different review process. 

Review process for Demo

A submission will be evaluated on following dimensions: 

• Positioning and articulation of the uniqueness of the game/toy: What do you think is new in the game/toy/play activity?  How will your design provide a new experience? How does it show players a new perspective?

• Production and Presentation Quality: The games should be playable, with finished assets. 

• Articulation of the concept in the Extended Abstract

Review process for Short papers

A submission will evaluated on following dimensions: 

• Novel/innovative/original/meaningful work

• Articulation and Positioning with respect to existing literature

• Contribution to design approaches to games, gamification, play, toys, and allied topics.  

Upon Acceptance

Authors of selected submissions will submit a Camera-ready version and will be invited to the conference in Mumbai. At least one of the authors should register for the conference; they will present their work at the conference. Authors of the selected short papers will receive detailed information about the presentation. Games/Toys/Play activities selected for Demos will receive an email requesting details of the game and the facilities required to exhibit at the conference.

At the main conference

At least one of the registered authors of accepted Short Papers is required to present their work at the main conference. Authors of Demos should be prepared to bring a playable demo of the game and all necessary hardware for demonstration at IndiaHCI.

Demos will be displayed in a designated play area at the conference venue. Attendees will visit the play area and play/playtest these games. Exhibited student entries selected by judges will give a brief 5-minute presentation about their game. Winners from each category will be announced during the event.