The Philosophy of Computer Games:
An Interdisciplinary Conference
January 25th to 27th 2007
University of Modena and Reggio Emilia
Department of Social, Cognitive and Quantitative Sciences
42100 Reggio Emilia
ITALY
Dear Friends, Colleages, Students
This is the second announcement for the international conference "The Philosophy of Computer Games. An Interdisciplinary Conference", to be held at the Department of Social, Cognitive and Quantitative Sciences, Ex-Caserma Zucchi, Viale A. Allegri 9, Reggio Emilia from the 25th to 27th of January 2007
The purpose of the conference is to initiate an investigation into philosophical issues that is relevant to current research on computer games.
More detailed information is available on the conference website.
http://game.unimore.it
We hope to create a lively, informal and first and foremost interdisciplinary atmosphere, and you are cordially invited to attend and take part in the discussions.
A flyer for the event is enclosed with this mail, and we ask you to kindly circulate this, and otherwise publicise the event for those you know who may be interested in attending.
The whole conference has been recorded for web broadcasting and an edited video version is now available at http://tv.unimore.it
Registration may be carried out by sending an e-mail to olav.asheim@ifikk.uio.no.
There is no conference fee.
Welcome to Reggio Emilia!
Patrick Coppock
Locally Responsible in Reggio Emilia for the Organising Committee
Conference Programme
Thursday 25th
COMPUTER GAME ENTITIES
10.00 Registration
11.00 Introduction
11.10 Fictional, Simulated, Real: Towards an Ontology of Game Objects
Professor Espen Aarseth, Center for Computer Games Research, IT University of Copenhagen, Denmark
12.00 Lunch
13.30 The Reality of Game Objects
Ph.d. candidate John Richard Sageng, University of Oslo, Norway
14.00 Gaming as an Aide to Metaphysical Speculation
Richard Clarkson, University of Durham, UK
14.30 The Temporality of Gaming
Associate professor Hallvard Fossheim, University of Oslo, Norway
15.00 Break
16.00 Is our Actual World Interactive: Some Philosophical Reflections about Videogaming and Life
Ph.d. candidate Dario Compagno, University of Siena, Italy
16.30 The Ludic Parenthesis
Professor Olav Asheim, University of Oslo, Norway
Friday 26th
PLAYER EXPERIENCE
10.00 Videogames, Fiction, and Reality
Visiting Assistant Professor Jonathan Frome, School of Film and Digital Media, University of Central Florida, USA
10.30 On The Phenomenology of Virtual Worlds
Ph.d. candidate Tarjei Mandt Larsen, University of Tromsø, Norway
11.00 The Irreducible Self. Image Studies of First Person Perspective Computer Games
Dr. Stephan Guenzel, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Germany
11.30 Visual Perception, Motor Action, and the Video Game Experience
Assistant Professor Ole Ertloev Hansen, VR Media Lab, Aalborg Universitet, Denmark
12.00 Lunch
13.30 Goals, Affects, and Empathy in Games
Research Assistant Petri Lankoski, Media Lab, University of Art and Design, Helsinki, Finland
14.00 Feeling So Real – a Phenomenological Exploration of the Realities of Emotions in Play
Olli Leino, Researcher, Dr. of Art candidate, Faculty of Art & Design, Dept. of Media, University of Lapland, Finland.
14.30 Ludic Reality: a construct for analysing meaning-mapping and epistemology in play
Dan Pinchbeck, Senior Lecturer, Department of Creative Technologies, University of Portsmouth, UK
15.00 Break
16.00 Virtual Consciousness and the Imaginary: A Phenomenological Sketch
Assistant Professor Nicolas De Warren, Wellesley College, UK
16.30 "Gamescapes": Spatial Orientation Without Physical Objects.
Associate Professor Anita Leirfall, University of Bergen. Norway
17.00 Virtual Realism: Player, Perception and Action in Video Game Play
Hanna K. Sommerseth, Graduate School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures, The University of Edinburgh, Scotland
17.30 Playing Dress-Up: Costumes, roleplay and imagination
Ludica: Janine Fron, Independent Artist/Designer, Tracy Fullerton, University of Southern California, Jacquelyn Ford Morie, University of Southern California, Celia Pearce, Georgia Institute of Technology (presenter)
Saturday 27th
THE ETHICS OF COMPUTER GAMES
10.00 Gamers and the Good Life
Adam R. Briggle, The VICI Research Project: The Evaluation of the Cultural Quality of New Media, Department of Philosophy, University of Twente, Netherlands
10.30 Computer Games and Reality: Transworld Identities
Patrick Coppock, Researcher, Department of Social, Cognitive and Quantitative Science, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy
11.00 Virtual Ethics: The Ethics of Virtual Worlds
Edward H. Spence, The VICI Research Project: The Evaluation of the Cultural Quality of New Media, Department of Philosophy, University of Twente, Netherlands
11.30 Targeting the Kids: Computer Games as War Propaganda
Rune Ottosen, Oslo University College, Norway
12.00 Lunch
13.30 Severe Pain or Suffering: Videogames, Morality and Torture
MSc Student Peter Rauch, Comparative Media Studies. M.I.T., USA
14.00 Ethics and Practice in Virtual Worlds
Ren Reynolds
14.30 Instrumentalism and the Ethics of Videogame Play: The Tactical Iraqi Controversy
Writing Director Elizabeth Losh, University of California, USA
15.00-16.00 Closing Session
