Author Information
April 15 – 18 2025 // Vienna & Graz
Theme:
FDG 2025 will have the theme „Accessible Worlds, United Through Play.“ This theme underscores the vital role of gaming in fostering inclusive communities, strengthening work of diverse groups, and making games and gaming accessible for all. Works addressing this theme could look at the creation of accessible gaming environments, enhancing connectivity among varied gaming communities, and promoting equitable, interdisciplinary and sustainable collaboration in game development, game design, and game studies. The conference theme extends to diversity, equity and inclusivity in both the gaming experience and its creation, and we encourage papers that investigate these aspects in broad terms. We welcome all contributions related to digital games and play, but particular emphasis will be placed on those that align with this year’s theme. Interpretations of the theme are flexible; if you feel your work resonates with „Accessible Worlds, United Through Play,“ please indicate this in your submission. We are excited to see how your research contributes to this important area.
Paper Submissions:
FDG invites authors to submit papers reporting new research. Authors may submit either full papers (typically up to ten pages in length, excluding references and appendices), or short papers (up to six pages, one column or four pages, two columns in length, including references). The length of these submissions should be commensurate with contribution of the paper, in the judgment of reviewers; papers that are significantly longer than recommended page limits without clear justification (e.g., significant use of images) may be desk rejected. Note that reviewers are not required to read material in appendices during the peer-review process; full papers should not exceed 20 pages including appendices. Submitted papers will need to be anonymized by the authors by removing any identifying author and institution information from the submission. Additionally, papers will need to be submitted in the ACM SIGCONF version of the ACM Master Template.
This year FDG is also providing the option for “Abstract Only” submissions. Abstract Only submissions should be submitted to the “Abstract” track, regardless of thematic area. Accepted abstracts will not be published in the conference proceedings, but abstract authors will be given an opportunity to give an oral presentation of their work at the conference
Submissions are handled using the FDG 2025 EasyChair. When submitting a paper, authors will be asked to select one of the conference’s tracks. Please select the track that you feel most closely aligns with the topics covered in your submission. Accepted papers will be included in the proceedings under the track they were accepted for.
The template for the submissions can be found under the following link ACM Template. Please use the template with 2 columns for submissions.
Please note that for Regular Papers you are required to submit an abstract by October 3rd to register your submission. You then have time until October 10th to submit your full paper. Descriptions of the tracks are below, but if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to your Program Co-Chairs at Sabine Harrer or Katta Spiel!
Dates
Review Process
The reviewing process used by FDG 2025 is double-anonymized, meaning that the paper authors do not know the identities of the reviewers, and the reviewers do not know the identities of the authors. Papers will receive three (3) reviews, along with a meta-review written by the Track Chair. Authors have the ability to write a one-page response to initial reviewer comments prior to final decisions being made on papers. Authors of accepted papers are expected to make minor revisions to their papers in response to reviewer comments.
Track Information
Technical Game Development & Novel Game Controllers
This track is for research that advances game development practices. This track is suitable for papers on game engines, frameworks, computer graphics techniques, rendering, animation, networking, novel interaction techniques (such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and alternate controllers) and other technical areas. Furthermore, the submission of work focusing on the development of novel hardware interfaces are also welcome. This track focuses on the technological aspects of game development and offers a venue for researchers and developers to share technological advancements of the field. Please consider that papers that focus more on Artificial Intelligence or Player Analytics should be submitted in their respective tracks.
Game Design, Studio Practices, and Novel Player Experiences
This track focuses on research that furthers the practice of game design and development. Submissions that examine, validate, invalidate, or create game making practices, patterns, mechanics, dynamics or aesthetics are encouraged to submit. Such work includes innovative and alternative methods of design, practical examinations of implementation protocol, socio-cultural exploration and critique of game-making culture, and empirical analysis of game-making processes and more. In short, this track is appropriate for papers that focus on exploring ways for designing and implementing novel interactions between players and games, as well as on understanding the experiences derived from those interactions The focus of this track is scholarly examination of game design and development, as produced through case studies, A/B testing, review of literature, comparative analysis, ethnographic approaches or other such appropriate efforts. This track will accept both qualitative and quantitative experimental studies.
Game Analytics and Visualization
This track invites authors to submit research related to data science, game analytics, and game data visualization, as well as analyzing player behavior. Techniques such as player modeling, churn analysis, player profiling, business intelligence and performance evaluation or workflow optimization applied to the field of digital games, are all suitable submissions for this track. Submissions spanning across quantitative, qualitative, and mixed method approaches are also encouraged. Novel methodological approaches are also valued in this track. Examples of submissions appropriate for this track include game data visualization; behavioral analysis (or other) game data; advances in methodological approaches that analyze and/or visualize game data; applying or expanding novel statistical methods; machine learning such as deep learning, clustering, or other AI algorithms; game data mining; and novel visualization and analytical methods for game data.
Game Artificial Intelligence
This track focuses on the many applications of computational and artificial intelligence to the playing, design, development, improvement, and testing of video games. Topics include general game-playing AI, procedural and player-driven content generation, mixed-initiative authoring tools, computational narrative, believable agents, and AI assisted game design. This track focuses on more experimental technically driven aspects of game development, such as developing algorithms capable of automating certain aspects of games, systems that dynamically influence certain aspects of play or tools that actively help developers during the development process.
Game Criticism and Analysis
This track calls for papers that approach the criticism and analysis of games from humanities-informed perspectives, including but not limited to perspectives rooted in the digital humanities, cultural studies, critical theory, communications, and related fields. Submissions are encouraged from scholars engaging in narrative, visual and software studies approaches to games and games criticism using methodologies such as archival research, hermeneutics, and oral history. This track will also consider critical, theoretical and/or historical analysis of games, and game genres from perspectives such as (but not limited to) postcolonial theory, feminism, historicism, subaltern studies, queer theory, the environmental humanities, and psychoanalysis. Socio-cultural critiques of game-making cultures and game-playing cultures are equally encouraged submissions for this track.
Games Beyond Entertainment
This track calls for papers showing results on the use of games, gaming, and game design for primary goals that are not entertainment. Topics include serious or transformational games, educational games, games with a purpose, advergames and exergames, gamification and gameful design, game-based learning, informal learning in games, and educational and other 'serious' uses of entertainment games and gaming practices. Authors are encouraged to highlight the importance of the target problem that the game is addressing, and how their design or research findings makes a contribution to the current state of research on games for a purpose. For games in education and training, this includes teaching and assessment methods, tools and techniques, and educational game-related programs.
Games Pedagogy
This track is concerned with the teaching of games, game development and design, and game-related concepts at all levels of education and training. Topics include design and development of curricula, instructional methods, teaching tools and techniques, assessment methods, learning/instructional activities, collegiate game programs, e-sports and educational program management. For research in gamified and game-based learning, please submit to Games beyond Entertainment track, unless it is work on game-based/gamified learning of game concepts.
Lightning Talk Track
Scholars who wish to share their work with the FDG community but who do not wish for their work to be published in the conference proceedings should submit to the abstract track. Submissions to this track should be anonymous (that is, any information identifying either the authors or their institutions should be removed), and may be up to five-hundred words on any subject related to digital games. Submitted abstracts will be anonymously peer reviewed, and authors of accepted abstracts will be given the opportunity to give an oral presentation of their work at the conference. Accepted abstracts will not be published in the conference proceedings; this track is intended for scholars coming from disciplines for whom journal publications (or other non-conference publication outlets) are preferred, and having work published in conference proceedings would be problematic for that disciplines preferred methods of publication.
Late Breaking Short Papers
This track is an amalgam of all regular tracks, focusing on smaller scale studies, work in progress, vision studies and tools/artifacts related to digital game research. Late-breaking papers will be presented as posters at the conference, and included in the official proceedings.
Late-breaking papers have a maximum page length of six pages, one column or four pages, two columns in the ACM Master Template format – including references and appendices.
Deadline for paper submission is Thursday, January 16, 2025, AoE.
Games and Demos
The games and demo exhibition provides a forum for demonstrations of work best suited to interaction rather than a paper or formal presentation. This track encourages submissions of games in various stages of development, from playable physical mock-ups to full-fledged implementations, as well as technical demos showcasing the latest tools, techniques, and systems created for games by academic or industrial research groups, or other early-stage or late-breaking research not yet ready for formal presentation.
Submissions should include a two-page (including references) extended abstract using the ACM SIGCONF version of the ACM Primary Template, an unedited video illustrating the game or technology, and (if possible) a link to the demo. Games and tech demos will be presented at a dedicated games and tech demo session open to the public.
Doctoral Consortium
A Doctoral Consortium (DC) will be held at FDG 2025 to enable PhD students to discuss their research with fellow students and professors. While the consortium is designed for senior PhD students who will pursue a career in academia, any PhD student is welcome to apply.
The DC is an in-person event to be held at FDG 2025, but efforts will be made to accommodate online attendees if necessary. Subject to the total number of participants, the DC will likely be held in a separate space with participants and selected mentors. The DC event is expected to last for about half of a conference day.
Accepted PhD students may be invited to present a poster of their work during the poster exhibition, in addition to attending the DC session. Accepted PhD students will be asked to participate in a round of short talks to solicit and receive feedback from anyone in the audience, and were then paired up with faculty mentors for one-on-one discussions afterwards. The faculty mentors will be selected by the DC-organizers to ensure that paired PhD students can ask questions about 1) the content of their research proposals, 2) navigating the PhD process, and 3) looking for jobs in academia. We - (the organizers) - recommend that you pose these questions in both your application to the DC and if selected to participate, the short talk itself.
We solicit applications as a single PDF in the following format:
- CV and a short cover letter explaining expected benefits from attending the consortium and questions to discuss (general and/or specific to their research)
- 2 to 4 pages about the PhD work (excluding any number of pages for references) in the ACM SIGCONF version of the ACM Primary Template. Submissions should address the goals of the research, the proposed approach, any results, and plans for completing the work.
Note that submissions should include the name and university affiliation of the applicant.
Workshop Proposals
FDG 2025 provides venues to host a series of full-day or half-day workshop sessions, focused on current and emerging game-related topics. Workshops are an opportunity to discuss, present, and demonstrate new technological developments, emerging technologies, specific research topics and game-related topics. They may also be hands-on or studio based. We especially encourage workshops and topics that involve participants from a range of disciplinary backgrounds, towards strengthening interdisciplinarity in games research.
Workshop proposals should be 2-4 pages, excluding references, in the ACM SIGCONF version of the ACM Primary Template and include: a background section explaining and motivating the workshop, the objectives of the workshop, planned activities, the background of the organizer(s), publication plans (if any), anticipated number of participants, and the means for soliciting and selecting participants. Workshop proposals will not be included in the conference proceedings.
Workshop can have a maximum length of 3:30 (2x 90min, with 30mins break)
Workshop Chairs
- Christoph Salge - University of Hertfordshire - c.salge@herts.ac.uk
- Raluca D. Gaina - Queen Mary University London - r.d.gaina@qmul.ac.uk
More detailed information can be found here.
Competition Proposals
Competitions provide a venue for the submission of community-driven solutions capable of solving game-related complex problems. FDG welcomes competition proposals, with a maximum length of 2 pages (excluding references) in the ACM SIGCONF version of the ACM Primary Template. Contents of the proposal should include a description of the competition and the organizers, the criteria for winners, anticipated number of participants, past number of participants (if the competition was held in the past), and how entries to the competition will be submitted. Competition proposals (or outcomes) will not be included in the proceedings.
Competition Chairs
- Christoph Salge - University of Hertfordshire - c.salge@herts.ac.u
- Raluca D. Gaina - Queen Mary University London - r.d.gaina@qmul.ac.uk
Panel Proposals
Friendly debate-style panels are welcome at FDG 2025. Panels for bringing attention to emerging areas and topics and encouraging their development are particularly valued. Interested researchers should consider finding panel-members interested in the discussion of the proposed topics before submitting their proposals. It is also important to consider diversity and speaker representation during the participant recruitment process. The maximum length for panel proposals is 2 pages (excluding references) in the ACM SIGCONF version of the ACM Primary Template. Proposal contents should include the panel’s topic, participants, how the panel is organized, and a citation-supported statement of why the event is relevant and topical. Panels that address the conference’s theme are especially encouraged. Panel proposals will not be included in the proceedings.