Genre and Video Games - Science Fiction

We are seeking short chapters of approximately 2500-2700 words for an edited collection on literary genres in video games. We invite submissions for the “science fiction” category of the collection.  

The collection fits into an ongoing genre studies series and will examine how literary genres function in video games, thereby bringing video games into the existing literary canon of genre studies. Each subsection will explore key themes in the existing canon while expanding on the interactive elements of video games that update and/or alter existing conversations about genre. The essays will be educational and accessible in nature with the aim of producing a comprehensive teaching companion for future courses in game studies, game development, or the digital humanities.

We invite proposals that explore a range of topics and games that investigate the function of the science fiction genre and how interactive gameworlds extend or change that function. 

Chapters in the science fiction category might discuss:

• Digital Posthuman Landscapes and Mitigating Climate Nihilism

• Human/Technology Interactions and the Rise of Artificial Intelligence 

• Space Exploration and Colonization

• Speculative Dystopias and Projected Futures

• Alternative Futurisms 

Games that might be considered (but are not limited to):

• Detroit: Become Human

• Horizon: Zero Dawn

• Starfield

• Mass Effect Series

• Fallout

Particular interest will be paid to chapter proposals that decenter Western perspectives on the genre and/or focus on titles that step away from Western futurisms. 

Please submit an abstract of 250-300 words alongside a brief (100 word) bio to genreandvideogames@gmail.com by the date below.

Abstract due by: August 31, 2024

Prospective Due Date: December 15, 2024