Replaying Japan 2024 – The 12th International Japan Game Studies Conference

Conference Theme : Preservation, Innovation and New Directions in Japanese Game Studies

Dates : 

• Monday, August 19 (University at Buffalo, SUNY)
• Tuesday, August 20 (University at Buffalo, SUNY)
• Wednesday, August 21 (The Strong National Museum of Play)

Locations : University at Buffalo (SUNY (North Campus) and The Strong National Museum of Play

Call for papers

Are you interested in Japanese game culture? How about exploring the largest collection of Japanese video games at The Strong National Museum of Play? Do you want to be a spectator of an epic Esports Match between the University at Buffalo and Rochester Institute of Technology? Then submit a proposal to the Replaying Japan International Game Studies Conference happening in August 2024!

Since 2012, the Replaying Japan conference has hosted researchers from various fields conducting research on Japanese and Asian game culture. In August 2024, New York State (Western New York) will become a hub for Game Studies scholars as Replaying Japan makes its way to Buffalo, alongside the History of Games Conference and the Video Game Preservation Conference, which will take place at The Strong Museum of Play in Rochester. In celebration of this synergy between cities and conferences, the 12th International Japan Game Studies Conference will be held at The University at Buffalo, SUNY (North Campus) in Buffalo, New York, USA, and in tandem with The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York, USA.

With collaborators and/or cosponsors from local and international institutions and organizations, this year’s conference will bring together a wide range of researchers and creators from around the globe to present their work on topics related to the theme of preservation, innovation and new directions in Japanese Game Studies in a post-Covid world. We invite researchers and students to submit paper proposals related to this theme.

We also invite papers on other topics relating to games and game cultures in East Asia and the Global South, digital narratives, artificial intelligence and education from the perspectives of humanities, social sciences, business, or education. We also encourage undergraduate panels (with advisor supervision), posters/demonstration proposals of games or interactive projects related to these themes. For previous approaches related to these topics, see the 2023 program: https://replaying.jp/nagoya-2023-conference-information/

Replaying Japan 2024 will begin in Buffalo, NY, at the University at Buffalo, SUNY (North Campus), then transition to The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, NY, via coach bus, where there will be a shared, full day of museum tours, presentations, and other exciting events on Wednesday, August 21. We highly recommend that guests who attend Replaying Japan join The Strong and their scheduled special events.

Submission Guidelines

Important Dates

Abstract submission deadline: Friday, November 17, at 11:59 pm Eastern time

Notification of Acceptance: Friday, December 15, 2023

[Conference Format] The following paper categories are welcome:

• Full Papers and Panels: Each session will be 90 minutes and will have a moderator. Each Presenter will have up to 20 minutes to present followed by 10 minutes for Q&A. For Panel sessions, we ask that one of the panelists be the moderator of the panel. If your paper is accepted, we will ask you to submit a revised version of your presentation for the Replaying Japan Journal (around 2,000 words).
• Poster/Demo session: A 90-minute session will be set aside during the event schedule for poster/demonstration proposals of games or interactive projects. The date and time will be communicated to presenters after the program is finalized. Note: Presenters who want to demonstrate innovative work best shown visually rather than submit a written paper should take advantage of our poster/demo session.
• Lightning Talks: At least one 60-minute session will be secured for Lightning Talks for works in progress. If you have work in progress that you would like to present we will have a Lightning Talk session. Abstracts can be shorter than 500 words. In the session, each Lightning Talk presenter will get 1 minute to talk to a single slide.

All papers must be original. Abstracts must be submitted to replayingjapan@gmail.com as an anonymized abstract in PDF format. The abstract should be no more than 500 words. Figures, tables and references do not count toward the word limit.

Please include your name, affiliation, and email address in the email, but not in the submitted abstract. In addition, please add the title of your presentation/demo in the email when submitting. Information for the submission email (only):

• Type of submission (poster/demonstration, lightning talk, paper, or panel):
• Title of submission:
• Name of author(s):
• Affiliation(s):
• Email address(es):

Sessions will be in English, but we will have some interpretation support for most panels as they will be chaired by bilingual speakers of Japanese and English and/or student volunteers.

Accommodations

Information regarding hotels will become available once notifications are sent out. We highly recommend that you plan and book early, as it will be a very busy season in Buffalo in August 2024.

Transportation

Roundtrip Travel between the University at Buffalo and The Strong National Museum of Play will be provided. Conference participants will be given priority as there are limited seats for the coach bus. A sign-up form to secure your spot will also be available when notifications are sent out.

The Prince Takamado Japan Centre Essay Contest

The Prince Takamado Japan Centre (The University of Alberta) will be awarding two essay prizes (2000 words) to the best student presentations on Japanese games. Cash prize amount TBD.

Contact information

This year’s conference is made possible thanks to members, collaborators, organizers and/or cosponsors from the following institutions and organizations:

Questions regarding the conference should be directed to Dr. Mimi Okabe (tsugumio@buffalo.edu) with the subject line: Replaying Japan 2024 – xxxx