The GLS Conference is the premier videogames and learning event. Now in it’s twelfth year, our event continues to be one of the top destinations where the people who create and research high-quality digital learning media can gather to discuss and help shape the direction of the field. GLS is best known for its high quality program, top notch attendees list, and playful atmosphere. Each year, we foster in-depth conversation across diverse disciplines including game studies and culture, game design, learning sciences and education research, industry, and policy. Our aim is to connect, learn, and explore.

 
The submission window for the 12th Annual Games+Learning+Society Conference has now passed. Thanks to those who submitted! You may reference papers from previous GLS conferences by downloading the proceedings from ETC Press.
 

The deadline for final submissions is June 30th, 2016 for all paper types except workshops and panels. Authors of workshops and panels have until August 31, 2016 to submit their final edits so that they may incorporate details about how things went during the session at the conference. To submit, log in at https://precisionconference.com/~gls/ and select “Submit the print-ready paper” on the Submissions in Progress tab. In this updated version of the paper, you may want to make edits addressing reviewer feedback or make changes so that your paper adheres to the formatting guidelines. Your revised paper should not stray too far from your initial submission. You are welcome to address comments from reviewers as appropriate, but the paper itself should remain substantively the same.
 
For your final proceedings paper, remember to confirm that author(s) names, institutional affiliations, and contact information are updated. The paper should no longer be blinded. Page limits vary depending on the submission type, so refer to the templates below for length and formatting guidelines. Please be sure to check that your paper matches the formatting on the template for your session type and that the format you use for names and institutional information matches too.
 

Session Formats

Presentations
Up to 7 pages (TEMPLATE HERE)

15 minute slot
A presentation is an individual 15-minute presentation. We’ll cluster three presentations into each session, and assign a session discussant to draw out common themes and to field audience questions. This is a standard format used by most conferences. Please let us know when you submit if you have any special needs for your presentation beyond a projector and a screen!

Symposia
Up to 2 pages (TEMPLATE HERE)

1 hour slot (limited spots)
Symposia are a coordinated series of paper presentations. They are similar to presentation sessions but are crafted by you to tackle a specific theme or issue related to the conference and the field. Format can vary from a cluster of three or more presentations with a designated discussant to a themed and interactive poster session—be creative! Every symposium ends with audience Q&A, but we especially welcome symposia that promote engagement and interaction throughout. Submissions should provide a description of the overall symposium topic and of the individual presentations within the symposium.

Panels
Up to 2 pages (TEMPLATE HERE)

1 hour slot
Panels bring together three or more experts around a single theme, and let them discuss and debate. Interactivity with the audience is encouraged—what better way to add liveliness to your panel than to let questions from the audience spark new ideas? Format can range from each presenter giving short presentation, then letting the attendees go wild, to designing provocative questions in advance to get the panelists going. Use your imagination! Submissions should provide a description of the panel topic, why it’s important, who the panelists are, and how the hour-long time slot will be structured.

Workshops
Up to 2 pages (TEMPLATE HERE)

1 hour slot
An interactive hour-long workshop in a single session, during which presenters engage the audience directly. Workshops are highly participatory and include discussion and debriefing following the activities. Make things, build things, test things—the sky’s the limit! Submissions should provide a description of the workshop topic and presenters, as well as an overview of the participatory workshop activities.

Posters
Curator: Karin Spader
Up to 2 pages (TEMPLATE HERE)

2 hour session
GLS 12 will again feature our Massively Multiplayer In-Person Poster Session (MMIPPS)—with a delicious dinner and open bar. This submission type is ideal for those who wish to engage in informal, face-to-face discussions about their research with colleagues and other conference attendees. We encourage the submission of ongoing and in-progress research for the poster session.
 
Posters session details: Our evening poster session will have free standing boards with 3.8′ by 3.8′ available surface. Pins will be provided, but you are invited to bring something else if you wish. If you require anything else (table, power) please contact the poster session curator. The poster session will be held in the Varsity Hall, with setup beginning Wednesday evening at 4:30 pm, the session officially starting at 5:00 pm, and running till 7:00 pm. Heavy hors d’oeuvres will be served with small tables scattered throughout. Poster storage is available in registration before and after the session. We can also receive shipments; contact the poster curator for details. Your poster curator this year is Karin Spader, who can be reached at [email protected]. This year we will have poster awards sponsored by DeVry! The nationally prominent judges will visit each poster and talk to you during the poster session, with awards presented at the Showcase ceremony on Wednesday night.

Well Played
Curator: Drew Davidson
Updated for publication in special issue of Well Played! Now 2 - 5 pages (TEMPLATE HERE)

1 hour slot
These sessions will focus on the experience of playing specific videogames. Sequences from the games will be analyzed in detail in order to illustrate and interpret how the design of various components enable players to learn how to play through the game successfully, as well as how the design of the various elements combine together to create a fulfilling gameplay experience. Presenters are highly encouraged to play games live at the conference to help best illustrate their analysis of the experience. Sessions will explore narrative development and game design, highlighting overarching themes and game play mechanics and providing a variety of perspectives on the value of games. These sessions are inspired by the ETC Press Well Played book series and Well Played journal that is based on this format of conversational scholarship. The goal of these sessions is to help further develop and define a literacy of games as well as a sense of their value. Videogames are a complex medium that merits careful interpretation and insightful analysis.

GLS Showcase
Curator: Dennis Ramirez
Up to 2 pages (TEMPLATE HERE)

All day event in Game Arcade & evening GLS Showcase Awards Show. 
The third annual GLS Showcase is soliciting educational games created by conference attendees. In the submission, please provide a short description of your game, you game’s education goals, your approach to learning and any other relevant information. All submissions must include links to downloadable demos and/or videos of game-play. If your game is selected, you will have the opportunity to share it in an all-day, arcade-style setting where the GLS community can play and talk with you about your game. Accepted games will also be reviewed by a panel of judges composed of industry and education leaders for inclusion in the GLS Showcase Awards Ceremony.

Proceedings
Editors: Amanda Barany and Stefan Slater
Be aware that by submitting to the conference you are agreeing to have your paper, if accepted, published in the GLS 12 conference proceedings. The proceedings are published with ETC Press and authors retain copyright of their work. Here is a link to information about ETC Press and their copyright policies. Furthermore, if accepted, your session may be videotaped and streamed for free online.