CHI PLAY: The Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play - Call for Papers

The GAMES track of PACMHCI (CHI PLAY) welcomes research on player-computer interactions including understanding the player experience, contributions on novel designs or implementations of player-computer interactions, and contributions to related theory. The GAMES track also welcomes contributions on the effects of various technologies, software, or algorithms on player experiences that further our understanding of the relationship between players and technology.

Submission Topics

We invite contributions across a variety of research techniques, methods, approaches, and domains, including, but not limited to:

• Novel input or output technologies for games and play
• Studies that contribute to our understanding of player experience of digital play
• Innovative game mechanics and playful interactions
• Theoretical contributions on digital play and games
• Accessible and inclusive design of player-computer interactions
• Esports, live streaming, and spectator experiences
• Advances in digital game user research, game evaluation methods, and methods for conducting games research
• Psychology and typologies of digital games and players
• Studies of applied, serious, and persuasive digital games (e.g., games and play for health, well-being, and learning)
• Gamification and motivational design
• Virtual and augmented reality in games and play
• New tools for digital game creation and co-creation that directly affect player experience and/or player-computer interactions
• Game analytics and novel visualizations of player-computer interactions
• Developer experiences and studies of developers of digital games
• Applications of human-centered game AI with implications for HCI games research (e.g., AI for digital game development or AI to improve player-computer interactions)
• Critical and reflexive approaches to digital games & play design and experience
• Gaming industry case studies

Important Dates

(all times are 23:59 Anywhere on Earth or AoE)

• Submission deadline: February 19, 2025
• Notifications given (accept with minor revisions/revise and resubmit/reject): April 14, 2025
• Revisions due: June 2, 2025
• Final notifications given: July 4, 2025

Submission Process

PACMHCI GAMES uses the Precision Conference System (PCS) 2.0: https://new.precisionconference.com/submissions. Select “SIGCHI” as the Society and “CHI PLAY” as the Conference/Journal to make a new submission.

Authors submitting papers for peer-review to ACM publications must comply with the ACM Policy on Authorship.

Formatting and Length

PACMHCI GAMES uses ACM Journals Primary Article Template found here: https://dl.acm.org/journal/pacmhci/submission-templates, which is available for LaTeX (and Overleaf), and Word.

No minimum or maximum page length is imposed on papers. Typical papers are under 10,000 words, or about 17-20 pages in the single column ACM Master Article Template, excluding references, figure/table captions, and appendices.

Anonymous Review Policy

Papers are subject to anonymous reviewing. Submissions must have authors’ names and affiliations removed, and avoid obvious identifying statements.

Revision Cycles and Decisions

PACMHCI GAMES will be returning submissions to the primary contact author with one of the following decisions, along with the reviews, after the first review cycle:

• Accept with Minor Revisions: Submissions that receive this decision are ready or nearly ready for publication, though they may require a few small changes.
• Revise and Resubmit: Submissions that receive this decision have real potential, but will require major portions rewritten or redone, and then re-reviewed.
• Reject: Submissions that receive this decision have been determined to be not acceptable in their current form.

ACM Policy on Use of Generative AI in Submissions

All authors should be aware of the ACM Policy on Authorship, which articulates the authorised use of generative AI in submitted works.

Video Figures

Video figures are mandatory for submissions that draw from custom-built games or systems that are not freely available (e.g., novel systems, interaction techniques, game designs, mechanics, or envisionments).

Videos should be no more than three minutes long.

Presenting at the CHI PLAY Conference

Accepted papers will be invited to present at the ACM CHI PLAY conference in Fall 2025. Presenting at the conference is strongly recommended but not required for publication in PACM HCI.