Clash of Realities 2017: Registration now open. International Conference at TH Köln

In its eighth iteration, the Clash of Realities conference will discuss pressing questions concerning the development and social perception of digital games within a forum of critical-analytical engagement.

In the evening of Nov. 6, professor of Interactive Audio at the University of Waterloo, Karen Collins, will officially kick off the conference with her keynote “Artistic Approaches to Music and Sound.”

On Nov. 7 the conference continues with the “Day of Summits” which will feature a compelling series of lectures and workshops on the topics of Game Development, Game Studies, Media Education, Film & Games and Game Audio. During the summits as well as the main day of the conference on Nov. 8, there will be an impressive collection of international speakers, including:

– Nick Montfort, Associate Professor at Massachusetts Institute for Technology (MIT) and expert of Interactive Fiction will deliver the keynote for the Game Studies Summit “Games and Literature.”

– Sam Barlow, Author and Designer of “Her Story” as well as three “Silent Hill” titles will speak on “Of Escapism and Activism” in the Game Development Summit.

– In the same summit, psychologist Celia Hodent will hold a talk on User Experience Strategies.
– Robin Curtis, Filmmaker, Curator, and Professor of Media/Cultural Studies at the Albert-Ludwig University in Freiburg, will open the Film and Games Summit “The Promise of the New – Immersion Revisited.”

– Jennifer Jenson, Director of the Institute for Digital Learning and Professor of Pedagogy and Technology at York University (Canada), will deliver at the Media Education Summit “Ethics Beyond Gameplay – Politics, Economy, Society”.

“This year we have already secured plenty of internationally renowned guests, who are going to make this conference especially outstanding,” affirmed Gundolf S. Freyermuth, co-chairman of the Programming Board and co-director of the Cologne Game Lab.

“I’m particularly happy to share, that in anticipation of Clash of Realities 2017, we will be publishing an extended volume of conference proceedings from the 2015 and 2016 Clash of Realities. The collection will include contributions from such prestigious authors as Janet H. Murray, David OReilly, Eric Zimmerman, Thomas Elsaesser, Lorenz Engell, Susana Tosca, Miguel Sicart, Frans Mäyrä, and Mark J.P. Wolf.” This special conference volume title “Clash of Realities 2015/16” will appear at the end of Octorber 2017 from transcript.

On the morning of Nov. 6, the conference will be preceded by a pre-event – a Young Academic Workshop on “Perceiving Video Games,” which is a transinstitutional collaboration between CGL and ITU Copenhagen. The deadline for submissions is July 28. Abstracts can be sent here: youngacademics@clashofrealities.com.

More information on the program, the speakers and the registration process: http://www.clashofrealities.com

The conference venue is located on the Cologne Game Lab / TH Köln campus (Schanzenstr. 28, 51063 Köln-Mülheim). Experts from the academy, science and research, economics, politics and the game industry will discuss pressing questions concerning the artistic design, technological development, and social perception of digital games, as well as the spreading of games literacy. The conference is aimed at scholars, social scientists, game developers, specialists in education and media, up-and-coming creative talents, students and all those interested in and excited by digital games.

The Clash of Realities Conference is organized by the TH Köln – University of Applied Sciences. Those responsible for the 2017 Clash of Realities concept and program layout are the Cologne Game Lab and the Institut für Medienforschung and Medienpädagogik of TH Köln; the ifs internationale filmschule köln GmbH; the Musikwissenschaftliche Institut as well as the Institut für Medienkultur und Theater of the University of Cologne; Electronic Arts, a global leader in the field of digital interactive entertainment; and AG Games, an interdisciplinary association of researchers in the field of digital games.

Clash of Realities 2017 is supported by TH Köln, Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, the city of Cologne, the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia, Ford Motor Company and Electronic Arts. WDR COSMO and MedienNetzwerk NRW are our media partners.

The TH Köln – University of Applied Sciences offers students and scientists from Germany and abroad an inspiring environment to learn, work and research in the social, cultural, engineering and natural sciences. Currently there are more than 25,000 students enrolled in over 90 undergraduate and graduate programs. The TH Köln creates social innovation – this is our main idea as we approach the challenges of today’s society. Our interdisciplinary thinking and acting, as well as our regional, national, and international activities, have made us both a valued partner and a trailblazer in many areas. The TH Köln was founded as the Fachhochschule Köln in 1971 and is regarded as one of the most innovative universities of applied sciences.

Media Contacts

TH Köln
Cologne Game Lab
Judith Neumann
+49 221-8275-4058
judith.neumann@th-koeln.de

TH Köln
Public Relations
Monika Probst
+49 221-8275-3948
monika.probst@th-koeln.de