Call for Papers for PCG2017: Action in Computer Games

We hereby invite scholars in any field of studies who take a professional interest in the philosophy of computer games to submit papers to the 11th International Conference on the Philosophy of Computer Games, to be held in Kraków, Poland, November 29th-December 1st, 2017. The notion of action connects central topics in the study of games to philosophical problems such as questions of will, intentionality and the autonomy of an agent. For this conference, we invite papers that explore ethical, experiential, aesthetic and ontological aspects of acting in a computer game. Problem of action in games can be approached from several perspectives and analyzed through different research questions. A few examples of such perspectives/questions are:

Structure of action
What is the ontological status of interactive works?
What is the ecological structure of a computer game?
How are actionable structures signified in a game?

Real, virtual, and fictional actions
Are there real and fictional aspects of a game act, and how we distinguish between them?
What is a virtual action?
How can meaning in games be created via passivity or idleness?

Norms and rules
How do ethical or social norms apply to the game acts?
How and to what extent are player actions prescribed or prohibited by gameplay norms?

How do players act?
What kinds of motivations serve to define typical player actions?
What characterizes the existential situation of a player?
How are play actions experienced?
What significance does the concept of agency have in the player’s experience?

In-game agency
What does it mean to act via an avatar?
What is the character of in-game embodiment?
Is the avatar truly an agent?
To what extent can the game itself be considered an agent?

The papers should present original (i.e. not published or presented elsewhere) research. Accepted papers will have a clear focus on philosophy and philosophical issues in relation to computer games. They will refer to specific examples from computer games rather than merely invoke them in general terms.

In addition to papers that are directed at the main theme we invite a smaller number of papers in an “open” category. We are especially interested in papers that aim to continue discussions from earlier conferences in this series.

The abstracts should have a maximum 1000 words (maximum 700 words for the main text and 300 for the bibliography). The deadline for submissions is Midnight GMT, September 1st, 2017. 
Please submit your abstract through All submitted abstracts will be subject to double blind peer review. Notification of accepted submissions will be sent out by 30.09 2017. Participation requires that 
a paper draft is submitted by November 10th November 22nd, 2017 (extended deadline) and will be made available on the conference website.

We also issue a call for workshops or panels to be held on November 28th. Please submit a short proposal to the program committee chair by September 1st, 2017 if you are interested in organizing an event.

For information about the conference please visit and