International Conference on Games and Narrative 2025

Important Dates:

The 2025 International Conference on Games and Narrative presents:

Adapt, Adopt, Adjust: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Adaptation, Storytelling and Simulation

HYBRID - Hosted by the Games Institute, University of Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Monday, March 3rd - Thursday, March 6th, 2025

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS
DEADLINE: NOVEMBER 30TH, 2024

Abstracts undergo single-blind review; submit via EasyChair
Decisions on papers, panels, and workshops: early December
Proceedings published (extended abstracts): April 2025

CFP Details

As a conference committed to creating an inclusive and interdisciplinary environment, this CfP is open to everyone—regardless of academic background, industry, or discipline. We encourage industry professionals, developers, independent scholars, artists, and anyone interested in the topic beyond academia to submit.

To view the full Call For Participation and download for distribution purposes, please use the following:

Full Color PDF

icgan25-cfp-colour.pdf

Accessible PDF

icgan25-cfp-accessible.pdf

Feel free to download and share the CfP widely

For questions about the CfP, please email icgan.submission@uwaterloo.ca

When posting on social media, feel free to use #ICGAN2025 and #ICGAN25

Submission Guidelines:

Guide on Writing Short Abstracts

Submission of short abstracts is not common in all disciplines and can be tricky to figure out for non-academics and junior scholars. For guidance on writing short abstract submissions, we recommend this guide created for the Canadian Game Studies Association by Kateryna Barnes and Dany Guay-Belanger (francophone version).

Sample Abstract

All submissions must include:

At least 3 citations (use ANY citation style you are comfortable with)

Citations and works cited are NOT included in the word count

Proposed demos do NOT require citation

100–150-word author(s)’ statement(s) including:

Full Name

Affiliation (institutional, industry, independent, etc.)

Description of selected research, publications, and presentations

*Note that Author(s)’ statement(s) are not counted in the abstract word count*

Abstract/description of the contribution based on the following information:

Paper or Video Essay Submissions	300–800-word abstract outlining the content you will cover in your presentation Individual or co-authored presentations can be either finished works or works-in-progress (i.e. dissertation research, or original, incomplete work from ongoing research)
Panel Submissions	500–1000-word abstract describing: The panel’s motivation, goals, and themes 150–200-word abstracts for each panellist’s contribution
Workshop Submissions	500–800-word abstract including: The workshop’s motivations, goals, and themes Schedule and structure of workshop activities; and Any components or equipment that are needed to run it (VR headset, markers, paper, dice) Workshops can also include game jams, the creation or teaching of how to use design tools, storytelling, etc.
Demo Submissions	250-word abstract outlining video/analogue game creation or interactive narrative experience in the demo Link to 3-minute demo of the interactive artefact No citations needed

Accepted abstract submissions, associated author statements, and links to demo videos will be included in the conference proceedings.

Call for Reviewers

If you are interested in reviewing for us, please complete our form indicating your interest as well as your relevant academic and/or industry background, research expertise, the types of submissions you are interested in reviewing, and any known conflicts of interest. We will use this information to match you with submissions. Once the submission deadline is past, we will contact you with further information.

Expected responsibilities include assessing extended abstract submissions based on their scholarly rigour and conference fit, as outlined in our CfP. Assigned abstracts will be sent to reviewers in late November, with final decisions on acceptance to be made in early December. Each reviewer can expect to receive between five to ten extended abstracts for assessment, depending on the volume of submissions we receive. 

If you are interested in serving as a reviewer, please submit your statement of interest for the consideration of the Organizing Committee by November 30, 2024.

Ethical Review Policy:

All submitted abstracts will undergo single-blind review. This means that reviewers will have access to the author's names and institutions. The benefits of this type of review process are that the authors' previous work and expertise are considered by the reviewer and assist in identifying self-plagiarism. This allows reviewers and organizers to address any conflicts of interests.

Desk Rejections

We will desk reject any submissions that do not follow the guidelines outlined in the CFP, do not align with the themes of adaptation, games, and narrative, or go against our Code of Conduct.

Code of Conduct.

Use of Generative AI in Submissions

While we acknowledge that AI may be helpful in formatting citations or assisting with editing and grammar checks, the ICGaN Organizing Committee strongly encourages authors to NOT use generative AI to write their submissions. If you do use generative AI to create your submission, we will consider you, and any other authors listed on the submission, fully responsible for any plagiarism, misrepresentation, fabrication, falsification, or hallucination of the AI tool.

EasyChair Guides and Submission Information

Conference proposals will ONLY be accepted if submitted through EasyChair. Any and all submission sent in via email will be deleted without review.

EasyChair is an online platform used to help organize submissions and streamline the review process. The software is a web-only service and cannot be installed on a server or desktop. Please note the links below for video and written guides on how to use EasyChair. Inquiries regarding the EasyChair platform should be directed to EasyChair support. Any additional questions about the conference, the submission or the review process can be sent to icgan.submissions@uwaterloo.ca.

EasyChair YouTube Tutorials	Logging into EasyChair and Finding the Submission Link - Tutorial
Getting Started with EasyChair	https://phmap.jp/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/getting-started-with-easychair.pdf
Detailed article on account creation	https://easychair.org/help/account_creation
Detailed article on how to submit	https://easychair.org/help/how_to_submit