SCMS Video Game Studies

Submissions will be reviewed and a winner selected by VGSSIG executive committee members (co-chairs, secretary, and grad representatives, who are not eligible for the award). Direct questions to Caleb Ward at cward66@gsu.edu or to Kate Fedchun at katefedchun@cmail.carlton.ca

Criteria for Submission Continued:

Potential work must be submitted by end of day on Friday January 30, 2026 to VGSSIGAwards@gmail.com.
Late work will not be considered.
Limit one submission per graduate student.

Criteria for Submission:

Submitted work must be unpublished
Essay must be single-authored by a current or recent (within a year) graduate student
Work of any length will be considered, though we ask that no entry exceed 10,000 words (including references and notes).

Winners can collect their awards from the check-in desk at SCMS. Send your papers to VGSSIGAwards@gmail.com with the subject line “VGSSIG Emerging Scholar Writing Award 2026” by end of day on Friday January 30, 2026.

Eligible submissions include any unpublished work from conference-length papers to finished article drafts. The winner will be awarded $200, while two runners-up will earn $150 each. Winners will be contacted via email and formally announced at the SCMS conference.

We welcome work from across the field including digital games, analog games, gaming paratexts, play practices, and gaming cultures.

The SCMS Video Game Studies Special Interest Group (VGSSIG) is proud to announce our 2026 Emerging Scholar Writing Award, particularly for work that extends, reimagines, or creatively contributes to the interdisciplinary field(s) of game studies.

To ensure we can set this up quickly, we ask that you complete this form by Friday, December 5. If you have questions about the retreat, please send an email to scms.vgssig@gmail.com or send us a DM here!

The full Virtual Symposium schedule can be found here: www.cmstudies.org/page/VSsched...

January Writing Retreat Interest Form The board for the VGSSIG invites you to a two-day writing retreat on our Discord server. This retreat is designed to help SIG members set aside time to devote to writing. We have ideas for what we'd l...

The survey will ask you which weekdays that week work best for you, how long you'd like to attend the retreat, and what events or activities you'd like to see included. We'll set up specific dates and times of the retreat based on the feedback we receive from the form.

January Writing Retreat Interest Form The board for the VGSSIG invites you to a two-day writing retreat on our Discord server. This retreat is designed to help SIG members set aside time to devote to writing. We have ideas for what we'd l...

Our goal is to create a relaxed, supportive space where you can write and stay motivated, no matter what stage in the writing process you are at. If you're interested in participating in the writing retreat, we ask that you fill out the Google Form here (forms.gle/qo9EJaHaCrv3...).

January Writing Retreat Interest Form The board for the VGSSIG invites you to a two-day writing retreat on our Discord server. This retreat is designed to help SIG members set aside time to devote to writing. We have ideas for what we'd l...

On that note: We are excited to announce a two-day writing retreat coming the week of January 5th on our Discord server!

Whether you're working on an article, conference paper, or any writing project, this retreat is a chance to set aside time to focus on your work alongside fellow SIG members.

First, our annual meeting will take place during the Virtual Symposium Saturday, December 8th from 9am to 10am CST (UTC-6). We'll discuss this year's Student Writing Award winners and provide details for an exciting upcoming event.

Hello everyone!

We hope you are all doing well! The VGSSIG board has two updates to share.

Kate Fedchun PhD Candidate @ Carleton University VGSSIG Graduate Student Representative Research interests: the queer indie game scene(s), game bundles, and queer survival. Most played video game: League of Legends (over 1700 hours) Indie favourite: Sword and Sworcery

Introducing our VGSSIG grad student rep for this year, @kathrynfedchun.bsky.social! A PhD candidate at Carleton University, she is researching the queer indie game scene(s), game bundles, and queer survival on itch. She's played 1700+ hours (yikes) of League of Legends. Indie fave: Sword & Sworcery.

We look forward to welcoming you all to the SCMS Virtual Symposium, December 5-6, 2025. All current SCMS members will be granted access. There is no additional registration for this event; your membership dues allow you to attend and participate. More here: conta.cc/4o0axto

Caleb Ward PhD student @ Georgia State University VGSSIG Graduate Student Representative Research interests: political economy of game platforms Most played video game: Marvel Rivals (300+ hours) Indie favourite: Sorry We're Closed

A warm welcome to one of our VGSSIG graduate student reps, Caleb Ward!! Caleb is a PhD student at Georgia State University interested in the political economy of game platforms. His most played video game is Marvel Rivals with 300 hours, and indie fave is Sorry We're Closed. Welcome aboard, Caleb!!

Evan Torner Assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati VGSSIG Secretary Research interests: Role-playing games as ideology, self-reflexivity, and adaptation Most played video game: Cobalt Core (282 hours) Indie favourite: Itras By

Next up is our VGSSIG Secretary, @guyintheblackhat.bsky.social. Evan is an assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati. His research interests include role-playing games as ideology, self-reflexivity, and adaptation. Over 200 hours on Cobalt Core(!!) and one of his fave indies is Itras By.

James Fleury Senior Lecturer at Washington University VGSSIG Co-Chair Research interests: Video game history, licensed video games, and retrogaming Most played video game: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Indie favourite: It Takes Two

Meet our VGSSIG Co-Chair, @thejimfleury.bsky.social!! Jim is a senior lecturer @ Washington University interested in video game history, licensed video games, and retrogaming. Another big Legend of Zelda fan (Breath of the Wild, this time) and indie favourite It Takes Two 👯

David Kocik Assistant professor @ Quinnipiac University Video Games Studies Scholarly Interest Group Co-Chair Research interests: Discourses of identity in the circulation of Japanese video games to the US Most played video game: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Indie favourite: Disco Elysium

Excited to introduce one of our VGSSIG Co-Chairs,
@davidkocik.bsky.social!! David is an asst. prof at Quinnipiac University interested in discourses of identity in the circulation of Japanese video games to the US. Catch him playing The Legend of Zelda: TotK or maybe role-playing in Disco Elysium 👾

Looking for tips to sharpen (or start 😉) your SCMS proposal? Curious how proposals are processed? We are holding a VGSSIG workshop for submission to SCMS 2026 this Tuesday, August 5th at 3 pm EST -- Please join us if you're interested in learning more or if you have a CFP to pitch to the membership!

Hello and Welcome to the SCMS Video Game Studies SIG Bsky account!

Please Pardon us while we get up and running here.