7º Workshop

Presence and influence of video games in society

Instructions are the same as for General Conference: check them here.

To upload an article to this Workshop, access the following link and, before the title of the contribution, place the code «WS_7»: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=icomta23

Summary:

The success of video games has spread to many areas of society and has influenced all age groups and socioeconomic levels. Videogames are no longer considered solely as an entertainment product aimed at children and adolescents to become a serious means of cultural expression, which uses its own tools to address complex issues.

The video game industry is expanding in which multidisciplinary teams of developers, designers, artists, producers and other professionals work, capable of completing the product creation cycle. The need for specialists has led to the appearance of specific training programs in the different disciplines required to develop a video game, both in regulated studios, universities and professional training centers, and non-regulated ones.

The maturity of the medium is largely due to technological development and the appearance of more powerful machines that have allowed the implementation of greater graphic realism, more processing capacity and greater storage capacity. In turn, these advances have also enabled developers to create games with richer content and more complex narratives.

Video games have spread to new uses and fields, beyond the entertainment for which they were originally created. Currently, they are used as tools for learning, education, health, scientific research, through game studies, and as a form of artistic and cultural expression. In addition, video games have become a useful tool to address social and political issues.

Video games are not limited to playful content, but also tell stories and explore complex themes. The appearance of new genres and new uses of videogames have contributed to diversify the profile of users of the digital medium, attracting new players who were not previously interested in more traditional genres.

The videogame medium has been legitimized on its own merits due to a combination of factors. Its economic importance, as a growing industry and as a generator of jobs. The use of advanced technology that contributes to the quality and diversity of content. And, for its ability to be used in the pedagogical and scientific field as a learning and teaching tool as well as entertainment.

This workshop will deal with issues related to the role that video games play in society. Current trends in video game design, the implementation of new technologies, and the challenges and opportunities that arise in this field will be addressed. In addition, the workshop will also address the ethical and inappropriate content challenges that arise in this field. A variety of issues related to video games in society will be addressed, from the point of view of entertainment, technology, economics or ethics.

Topics:

  • Non-recreational uses of video games
  • Ideological content and hate speech in the field of video games
  • video game design
  • The video game as a product of the cultural industry
  • Game technology and development
  • Videogames as a source of audiovisual content. From e-sports to streaming
  • Gamification

General Coordinators:

  • Jose Ángel Fernández-Holgado, Universidade da Coruña (Spain)
  • Mónica López Golán Universidade da Coruña (Spain)

Technical Coordinators and Organizers:

  • Jose Ángel Fernández-Holgado, Universidade da Coruña (Spain)
  • Mónica López Golán Universidade da Coruña (Spain)
  • Luis Antonio Hernández Ibáñez Universidade da Coruña (Spain)
  • María Luz Castro Pena Universidade da Coruña (Spain)

Scientific Comittee:

  • Jose Ángel Fernández-Holgado, Universidade da Coruña (Spain)
  • Mónica López Golán Universidade da Coruña (Spain)
  • Mireya Vicent-Ibáñez Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain)
  • Natalia Quintas Froufe, Universidade da Coruña (Spain)
  • Luis Antonio Hernández Ibáñez, Universidade da Coruña (Spain)
  • María Luz Castro Pena, Universidade da Coruña (Spain)
  • Viviana Barneche Naya, Universidade da Coruña (Spain)
  • Julia Fontenla Pedreira, Universidade de Vigo (Spain)
  • Teresa Piñeiro Otero, Universidade da Coruña (Spain)
  • Nereida Rodríguez Fernández, Universidade da Coruña (Spain)
  • Franklin Rivas Echevarría, Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María (Chile)
  • Patricia Henríquez Coronel, Universidad Laica Eloy Alfaro (Ecuador)
  • Adrián Suárez Mouriño, Independent researcher by International University of La Rioja (Spain)
  • María Jesús Díaz González, Universidade da Coruña (Spain)

Chairs to coordinate sessions at ICOMTA’23:

  • Jose Ángel Fernández-Holgado, Universidade da Coruña (Spain)
  • Mónica López Golán Universidade da Coruña (Spain)
  • Luis Antonio Hernández Ibáñez Universidade da Coruña (Spain)