Exploring the Purpose and Development of Academic Games: An Analysis of Games Reported at the Foundations of Digital Games Conference (2007–2024)

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A4 Artikkeli konferenssijulkaisussa

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en

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11

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Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games, FDG 2025, pp. 1-11

Abstract

One of the more exploratory and experimental forms of output in the games research community involves authors utilising games they have developed in the academic context. Whether fully embodying the role of a designer-researcher in communicating the development process, or presenting the data that derives from a complete game artefact, academics can use games as an integral part of their research. The academic game making context is distinct from other forms of game creation, with academia allowing for certain freedoms while also enforcing its own strict constraints. Our understanding of academic games derives from how they have been reported in the literature, as there is limited preservation of these games as playable experiences. For the 20th Foundations of Digital Games (FDG) conference, we analysed its corpus of 1,437 articles to take examine their historical development and identify some of the developmental trends of academic games as reported over nearly two decades. Through this study, we identify the diverse purposes of these games and examine how they have contributed to advancing research efforts.

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Chen, M & Morrell, E 2025, Exploring the Purpose and Development of Academic Games: An Analysis of Games Reported at the Foundations of Digital Games Conference (2007–2024). in J Pirker, F Kayali, K Spiel, S Harrer, S Harrer, A Khalifa & G A B Barros (eds), Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games, FDG 2025., 39, ACM, pp. 1-11, International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games, Vienna & Graz, Austria, 15/04/2025. https://doi.org/10.1145/3723498.3723823