CHI PLAY

CHI PLAY
Name	CHI PLAY
Discipline	Human–computer interaction, Game Studies, Playful Interaction
First	2014
Frequency	Annual
Country	Various

CHI PLAY is an annual international conference focused on the intersection of human–computer interaction and video game design, bringing together researchers, practitioners, and educators from distinct communities such as ACM SIGCHI, ACM SIGGRAPH, IEEE, Entertainment Software Association, International Game Developers Association, and universities worldwide including Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, Carnegie Mellon University, and University of Washington. The conference situates itself among events like CHI, GDC, FDG (conference), DIGRA, and ACE (conference), fostering collaborations across institutions such as Microsoft Research, Google Research, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Nintendo, and Electronic Arts.

History

CHI PLAY emerged from earlier gatherings rooted in communities around ACM SIGCHI and DIGRA, influenced by seminal meetings such as CHI 2010, CHI 2013, and symposia at ACM SIGCOMM and ACM Multimedia. Early organizers included figures affiliated with University of York, University of Toronto, University of California, Irvine, Queen Mary University of London, and companies like Nokia Research, Ubisoft, and Blizzard Entertainment. The conference has been held in cities including Seattle, New York City, Barcelona, Tokyo, Melbourne, Vancouver, London, San Francisco, Toronto, and Paris. Program committees have featured researchers from University of Oxford, ETH Zurich, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, University College London, and National University of Singapore.

Scope and Topics

CHI PLAY covers topics spanning game design and play studies with intersections to work from MIT Media Lab, Harvard University, Princeton University, Yale University, Columbia University, and University of Cambridge. Typical subjects include player experience research referencing frameworks used by Tobii Technology, ICREA, and Nintendo Research, studies of persuasive games connected to Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab, and inclusive design informed by groups such as World Health Organization accessibility guidelines and standards from ISO. The scope embraces research on narrative design intersecting with works by authors who have collaborated with Ubisoft Montreal, investigations into procedural content generation akin to research at Georgia Institute of Technology, and empirical studies using platforms from Valve Corporation, Epic Games, Unity Technologies, and Steam. Cross-disciplinary contributions draw on theories from Johns Hopkins University, University of Chicago, New York University, Duke University, Brown University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and cultural analyses referencing institutions like Smithsonian Institution and British Museum.

Conference Structure and Events

The conference typically includes paper presentations, posters, workshops, and panels featuring participants from ACM SIGACCESS, SIGGRAPH Asia, IEEE VR, and festival collaborations with organizations such as IndieCade and Game Developers Conference. Keynote speakers have been drawn from MIT Media Lab, Google DeepMind, OpenAI, Stanford HCI Group, Microsoft Research Asia, and studios like Thatgamecompany. Events often include student competitions, doctoral consortiums linked to programs at Cornell University, Indiana University Bloomington, and University of Pennsylvania, and industry tracks involving representatives from Amazon Game Studios, Riot Games, Take-Two Interactive, Bethesda Softworks, SEGA, and Capcom. Social and exhibition components have partnered with venues like MoMA, Barbican Centre, and Cooper Hewitt.

Publications and Proceedings

Proceedings are typically published through ACM Digital Library and cross-listed in indices used by scholars at Scopus, Web of Science, and repositories such as arXiv and institutional archives at University of Michigan. Papers often cite methodologies and standards from labs at MIT Media Lab, Stanford AI Lab, Berkeley AI Research (BAIR), Oxford Internet Institute, Max Planck Institute for Informatics, and Fraunhofer Gesellschaft. Special issues and extended versions appear in journals like ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction, IEEE Transactions on Games, Game Studies (journal), New Media & Society, Computers in Human Behavior, and edited volumes published by Springer and Routledge.

Awards and Recognitions

CHI PLAY confers awards for best paper, best demo, and honorable mentions judged by committees including members from ACM SIGCHI, ACM SIGGRAPH, IEEE Computer Society, and academic reviewers from University of Toronto Scarborough, University of Sydney, Monash University, and Aalto University. Recognition at CHI PLAY has been correlated with later accolades such as ACM SIGCHI Social Impact Award, BAFTA Games Awards, Independent Games Festival honors, and nominations at events like The Game Awards and D.I.C.E. Awards. Past award winners have gone on to receive grants from funders like European Research Council, National Science Foundation, Canada Research Chairs, and fellowships at Wellcome Trust.

Notable Contributions and Impact

Research presented at CHI PLAY has influenced practice and scholarship across industry and academia, informing design work at Electronic Arts Redwood Shores, Blizzard Entertainment Irvine, Riot Games Los Angeles, Google Stadia initiatives, and educational programs at NYU Game Center, Abertay University, and Rochester Institute of Technology. Contributions have advanced understanding of player experience metrics used by companies like Supercell, innovations in accessibility adopted by Microsoft Xbox, procedural generation techniques referenced by Valve, and wellbeing-focused game interventions studied alongside World Health Organization mental health frameworks. CHI PLAY has also fostered collaborations with cultural institutions such as Tate Modern and Victoria and Albert Museum to explore play in public contexts.

Category:Conferences