July 3, 2019

Birmingham, UK

The third annual RGS-IBG Digital Geographies Research Group Symposium will be taking place at the University of Birmingham on 3rd July 2019, examining the Geographies of Gaming and VR.

Since Atari released Pong in 1972 the video game industry has evolved rapidly, with an estimated global value of $137.9 billion in 2018 (Newzoo, 2018). Considering the size of the sector and notwithstanding important exceptions (e.g. Ash & Gallacher 2011, Shaw & Sharp 2013), gaming has received surprisingly little attention from geographers. VR, meanwhile, has been periodically hyped as the next big thing in technology for over thirty years. The immersive qualities of VR drive a particularly compelling experience of virtual space, yet VR has been relatively neglected by geographers (although see Hillis, 1996, Fisher and Unwin, 2002). In recent years VR has been boosted by significant investments from tech giants such as Facebook, Sony and Microsoft and is gaining traction in both consumer and professional contexts as a platform for games, socialisation and immersive media.

The programme for this event has now been finalised, and tickets are on sale via our Eventbrite page. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/geographies-of-gaming-and-vr-3rd-annual-digital-geographies-symposium-tickets-58595899914

Please see the details the event below, including information on keynotes, paper sessions and workshops. All are welcome.

• Keynote 1: Sarah Jones (Head of the Birmingham School of Media, Birmingham City University) Storyliving: how presence manifests itself within immersive media
• Keynote 2: John Sear (Software developer and CEO of Museum Games) Engaging publics through gaming technologies
• Keynote 3: Melissa Kagen (Lecturer in Digital Media, Bangor University) Misplaying the map in 80 Days

With papers and workshops from

• Emma Fraser
• Leighton Evans & Michał Rzeszewski
• Victoria Williams
• Clancy Wilmott
• Sally Bushell & James Butler
• Vincent Miller & Gonzalo Garcia
• Gareth W. Young & Oliver Dawkins
• Adam Brown
• Peter Nelson
• Jack Lowe
• Phil Jones
• Sally Bushell

Bursaries are also available to cover travel, accommodation and registration fee. More information here here.

NEW DEADLINE: JUNE 21, 2019