The 23th colloquium of the International Society for Board Game Studies will be held In Paris from 12 to 15 May 2020 in collaboration with the EXPERICE (University Paris 13) research center, Game in Lab and the LabEx ICCA. The Board Game Studies Colloquium is a platform aimed at bringing together game scholars from all fields, as well as independent researchers, curators, game inventors, collectors and enthusiasts from all around the world. The theme for this edition is “the Evolutions of Board Games”. 

Conference Theme

The theme for this edition is “the Evolutions of Board Games”. This refers to the transformations of board games in terms of materials, gameplay or mechanics as well as the evolutions of the players, of the social spaces of play, of the mathematical or computer processing of games, or the ways board games are designed, crafted, sold or acquired. This perspective is thus open to different approaches (historical, sociological, design, educational, etc.) and it may concern periods, practices and objects, both ancient and contemporary.

This theme thus covers at least 4 topics:

- Evolution of practices, evolution of players, evolution of strategies

- Technical transformations, material transformations

- Models and game systems

- Manufacturing, industry, distribution, retail.

This theme and its 4 topics are orientations. Any proposal on board games, not limited to these topics, are welcome.

The conferences will be held at a newly developed Conference Centre, accessible via metro, known as the Paris-Nord MSH (Human Sciences House). The Centre is situated 20, Avenue George Sand in La Plaine Saint-Denis (part of the Grand Paris conurbation) and is 2 minutes from the “Front Populaire” station (terminus) of line 12 of the Paris Metro. The MSH is situated four to six stations from the famous Parisian area of Montmartre.

How to submit a paper or a poster

If you would like to present a paper, organize a dedicated session on a common theme or present a poster, please submit the requested abstract or proposal, in English,

before 15 January, 2020.

Submissions should be sent to the Organizing Committee: bgs2020@univ-paris13.fr. Then, they will be evaluated at least by two members of the Scientific Committee.

Papers will be limited to 20 minutes, with an additional 10 minutes for questions and comments. In addition to some basic background information, the abstract must include methodology, research data and results, discussion or conclusion. Authors are also asked to provide which topics (from the list above) best fit the description of their paper. The title of the abstract, names, affiliations and email address of each contributor should be provided. Authors are invited to submit their abstracts in English, in a Word file. Abstracts should be 300-400 word long so that the Scientific Committee can better judge them.

Dedicated sessions will be limited to 1 hour and a half or 2 hours, with three or four presentations on a common theme. Each proposal should contain the title of the session, an overview of the sessions (around 300-400 words), and abstracts of each presentation should be presented in the same format as the papers.

Posters should be suitable for presentation. Poster usually do not occupy conference time and take place during the coffee breaks or lunches. If you would like to present a poster, please submit a one-page abstract in the same format as the papers.

PowerPoint or Keynote-type slide documents to support your presentation are welcome before the colloquium.

Publications

Conference proceedings will be published in the open archive HAL (//hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/). Participants who wish to have their full paper published are required to submit it to the organizing committee by 15 September 2020 (bgs2020@univ-paris13.fr)

Registration and Fees

Registration for the conference is available online from 1^st January to 1^st May 2020 at:

www.bgsparis2020.com

-          Full fee for the four-day conference (including the Conference dinner) for each participant: 150 euros

-          Reduced rate for listeners / students coming for less than 3 days: 50 euros per day (this does not allow access to the Conference dinner)

The conference fee must be paid by credit card. Your registration will not be valid until you have successfully completed the entire process and received a confirmation of registration and payment. If you are unable to register online via credit card, please contact the Organizing Committee: bgs2020@univ-paris13.fr

Full Registration fee includes all conference sessions, conference materials, scheduled meals, refreshments at breaks. It also includes a trip to the French Playing-Card Museum (www.museecarteajouer.com/) on the evening of 13 May 2020. Museum entry fee, demonstration and meal inclusive of registration fee. The fee does not cover accommodation and travel expenses.

Conference deadlines

• Deadline for submission: 15 January 2020

• Request for financial assistance: 8 January 2020
• Response from review committee: 28 February 2020
• Registration from 1st January to 1st May 2020

Venue Details

The conference will be held at Paris-Nord Maison des Sciences de l’Homme (Human Sciences House), a new and interesting building dedicated to research and conferences in human sciences close to the new “Campus Condorcet”, a university campus for social and human sciences. The conference center is situated at 20, Avenue George Sand in La Plaine Saint-Denis (part of the Grand Paris conurbation) and is a two-minute walk from the “Front Populaire” Paris Metro station (Terminus of the Line 12).

Travel Information

Paris is easily accessible from anywhere around the world and is served by two international airports (Orly and Roissy-Charles de Gaulle). It is worth noting that some low-cost flights (for example Ryanair) arrive in Beauvais Airport, which is 85 km from Paris (approximately a 75-minute bus journey).

High Speed trains (Eurostar, Thalys, Lyria, and TGV) connect Paris to various other major continental cities and an efficient road system makes travel to Paris, by car or coach, a viable option from other European countries.

The Paris Metro has a well-developed rail network which means the conference centre is around 15 to 30 min from downtown Paris.

Accommodation

Conference attendees are advised to book hotels in areas in close proximity to the Paris Metro Line 12. This includes “Montmartre”, “Pigalle”, “Grands Boulevards” and “Grands magasins”, “Opera”, and “Tuileries” areas, all of which are within 15 to 30 minutes

Metro journey to the MSH conference center (see www.plandeparis.info/paris-metro/metromap.html).

Accommodation should be booked directly with the hotel. Useful websites include:

• http://www.lastminute.com/hotels/paris.html
• https://www.booking.com/
• http://www.hoteldirect.co.uk/paris/
• https://www.hostelbookers.com/hotels/france/paris/
• https://uk.hotels.com/de504261-qu0/cheap-hotels-paris-france/
• https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/HotelsList-Paris-Cheap-Hotels-zfp20355.html

Detailed information on travelling to Paris, accommodation, arrangements for the cultural events and colloquium dinner, and an online booking facility will be provided at the web site:

www.bgsparis2020.com

Organizing Committee

• Jean-Emmanuel Barbier (Haute Ecole de Bruxelles)
• Vincent Berry (University Paris 13)
• Gilles Brougère (University Paris 13)
• Thierry Depaulis (International Society for Board Games studies)
• Gabrielle Fauste (Game in Lab)
• Mikaël Le Bourhis (Game In Lab)
• Lisa Rougetet (University of Brest)
• Virginie Tacq (Haute Ecole de Bruxelles)
• Ulrich Schädler (Swiss Museum of Games)
• Michel Van Langendonckt (Haute Ecole de Bruxelles)
• Vinciane Zabban (University Paris 13)

Scientific Committee

• Manuel Boutet (university Nice Sophia Antipolis)
• Olivier Caïra (University of Evry)
• Tristan Cazenave (university Paris Dauphine)
• Véronique Dasen (University of Fribourg)
• Thierry Depaulis (International Society for Board Game Studies)
• Alex De Voogt (American Museum of Natural History)
• Eddie Duggan (International Society for Board Game Studies)
• Michaël Huchette (University Paris 13)
• Edwige Lelièvre (University Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines)
• Jorge Nuno Silva (University of Lisbon)
• Lisa Rougetet (University of Brest)
• Ulrich Schädler (Swiss Museum of Games)

 If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to write to the Organizing Committee (bgs2020@univ-paris13.fr)