Too many topics, too little time

DIGITAL GAMES INDUSTRIES: DEVELOPMENTS, IMPACT AND DIRECTION

19th-20th Sept 2003
ESRC Centre for Research on Innovation and Competition
University of Manchester,
Manchester, England.

Call For Papers

One of the major distinguishing features of modern capitalism is its
restlessness. New activities emerge from within to compete with
older, more established, rivals displacing them in the process or
succumbing to competitive pressures themselves. But as these new
activities become embedded in economic systems and old ones
disappear there are profound effects on the structure of economies,
as well as on production, consumption, demand, technology and
employment. The digital gaming industry is one of the more
important recent examples of this phenomenon of creative
destruction. The study of this industry allows us to gain new
insights about innovation, the creation of new consumption and
economic activities, the growth of business opportunities and the
development of the market in terms of demand and consumption as well
as supply.

Against the backdrop of the highly competitive economic environment
of gaming platforms, software and new game-enabled consumer
technologies, the ESRC Centre for Research on Innovation and
Competition (CRIC) will be hosting a two day workshop on the
socio-economics of digital gaming. The workshop aims to bring
together international delegates from academic, policy and
commercial circles for an in-depth discussion on nature and
characteristics of this emerging sector: the 'drivers', key
'players', the 'current state of play', and the impact of the
industry on the modern economy and the framework of its evolution.

No new activity is without its context. Thus further issues arise
in relation to the link between existing activities and consumption
practices and the role they play in shaping the development of the
digital gaming industries and new forms of technologically mediated
consumption. Since the development of the games industry may be
perceived as an important example of restless, emergent capitalism
it follows that it may provide important lessons for policy in
relation to economic enterprise.

Digital gaming provides an excellent empirical probe to gain a
better understanding of a range of debates current in industry,
academia and policy but raises issues that cannot be dealt with
solely through a mono-disciplinary approach. Therefore, this event
encourages a broader inter-disciplinary framework drawing up
sociology, economics, management, innovation studies and so forth.

CRIC invites papers on all aspects of the digital games industry,
its development, production and end consumption but particularly
welcome submissions in the following areas:

* Competitive processes and their regulation
* The technology of gaming
* New sectors:
Theories of business
Analogous industries
Emergent industries
* Role of venture capital and investment
* Standardisation of technologies and markets, instituted economic
processes
* Inter-firm interactions and strategic alliances
* IPR, licensing and piracy
Corporate spillovers
Licensing agreements
* Labour markets and mobility
Clustering and brain drains
International division of labour
Ethical practices & the World Trade Agreement
* Economics of demand and consumption
Development of consumer capabilities
Consumers as producers
Digital gaming and value
* Evolution through success and failure

The workshop is keen to receive papers which offer firm and national
case studies as well as international comparisons and empirical work
on consumption.

Abstracts should be between 500 and 750 words long and, in addition
to an overview of the work to be presented, should include:

* All authors' names, institutional address, email contacts and
URL
* A list of up to six keywords
* Details of data and models used
* Full references for works cited

Abstracts, proposals and expressions of intent should be submitted
electronically in Word or RTF format to Jason.Rutter@man.ac.uk.

Deadline for abstracts: 3rd February 2003
Accepted authors notified: 3rd March 2003
Deadline for camera ready copy: 28th July 2003

CRIC will provide assistance with workshop fees for all delegates
and travel expenses for those presenting work. Papers presented will
form the basis of an edited collection on the economies of digital
gaming.

Stan Metcalfe Jason Rutter Ronnie Ramlogan

ESRC Centre for Research on Innovation and Competition,
The University of Manchester,
Harold Hankins Building
Booth Street West,
Manchester,
M13 9QH
www.cric.ac.uk/cric