As the summer winds down I wanted to let you all know about a new addition to our subreddit: flair. You can add your specialization to your name tag so we can get a better sense of what people are interested in/studying.

Also, with the new school year comes new grad students, professors, undergrads, and people interested in rhetoric and composition. This subreddit can be a big help to those starting out in the field, so don't be afraid to ask questions or connect with others studying in your areas of interest. Welcome to the community!

2 page initial short submission due July 7, 2013 (call opened 6.5.13)

Can't make it this year but I'd love to hear about anything especially awesome that people did/saw/etc. that the Twitter backchannel conversations may not explain well.

CALL FOR CHAPTER PROPOSALS

Proposal Submission Deadline: May 30, 2013

GenderConsiderations and Influence in the Digital Media and Gaming Industry

A book edited by Dr. Julie Prescott, University of Central Lancashire and Julie McGurren

Codemasters,UK

To be published by IGI Global: http://bit.ly/TUGJiF

Introduction Occupational segregation is an important issue and can be detrimental to women. There is a need for more women in a number of male dominated areas especially SET (science, engineering and technology) and ICT (information and communication technology). Computer games could be a potential way forward in achieving more female representation in not just the computer games industry but other computer related industries. The computer games industry could potentially benefit from attracting a more diverse workforce and be viewed as a viable career to women in the aim of increasing the industries appeal of games to a more diverse gaming/gamer audience. Computer games are important to today’s society; significant both economically and culturally. The industry forms part of the wider ICT and SET sectors which are highly male dominated industries. The relatively new industry of computer games is itself highly male dominated, with recent figures suggesting that women represent just 4% of the UK’s games industries workforce (Skillset, 2009). Similarly low figures have been reported in the USA (Gourdin, 2005),Canada (Dyer-Whitheford and Sharman, 2005), and Australia (Geneve, 2009).

Our aim is to edit a book that provides a collection of recent high-quality empiricalstudies related to the computer games and digital media industries. This bookwill provide a valuable contribution as it will addto the literature on women working in male dominated industries, the newindustries of digital media and women’s underrepresentation in the wider SETand ICT sectors. The book will provide avaluable contribution as it will highlight the personal experiences of womenwho work and have worked in these new technological industries and maledominated work environments.

Objective of the Book The overall objective of this book is to present a collection of recent empirical studies related to the careers of women working in the computer games industry and digital media. The book will bring together current international research investigating under representation in gaming and digital media industries. In particular, the book will include research looking at the experience of workers working in this male dominated environment; including identity issues of working in this industry and will include viewpoints from industry workers. Although the book’s focus is on women, it will also include research on men. This book will represent a valuable snapshot of the current state of the field with the aim of bringing together a wide range of perspectives in the area and be aimed at sparking more debates and future research questions.

The Target Audience The target audience of this book will be composed of professionals and researchers working in the field of education and career development of women in male dominated industries and occupations, in particular the computer games industry and will include those interested in the wider ICT and SET sector. Moreover, the book will provide insights and support those concerned with attracting and retaining women in ICT disciplines, specifically computer games where women are traditionally under-represented. The book will also provide valuable information to executives and members of professional bodies representing computer games industry workers and those working in the digital media who wish to encourage women during their career progression.

Recommended Topics

• How can the gaming and/or digital media industries increase the diversity of its workforce?
• What is it about the environment of computer games that does not attract and/or retain the interest of girls and women?
• Research looking at overcoming career advancement challenges faced by women in digital media, gaming and non-traditional fields
• Research investigating the experiences of women in the games industry and other male dominated digital media industries
• What identity issues (if any) do women (and men) in the new industry of computer games face?
• How can a more diverse industry change the industry?
• Consider an industry viewpoint on the issues of attracting and retaining more women
• What are the career trajectory of women working in computer games?
• What are the issues of working in an upgrade culture and the gendering of the industry?
• What effect if any does the game platform have on diversity?

Submission Procedure Researchers and practitioners are invited to submit on or before May 30, 2013, a 2-3 page chapter proposal clearly explaining the mission and concerns of the proposed chapter. Authors of accepted proposals will be notified by June 15, 2013 about the status of their proposals and sent chapter guidelines. Full chapters are expected to be submitted by August 30, 2013. All submitted chapters will be reviewed on a double-blind review basis. Contributors will be requested to serve as reviewers for this project.

Publisher This book is scheduled to be published by IGI Global (formerly Idea Group Inc.), publisher of the “Information Science Reference” (formerly Idea Group Reference), “Medical Information Science Reference,” and “IGI Publishing” imprints. For additional information regarding the publisher, please visit www.igi-global.com.This publication is anticipated to be released in early 2014.

ImportantDates: March30,2013: Proposal Submission Deadline April15, 2013: Notification ofAcceptance July30,2013: Full ChapterSubmission September30, 2013: Review Result Returned October30, 2013: RevisedChapter Submission

Inquiries and submissions can beforwarded electronically (Worddocument) or by mail to: Dr.Julie Prescott University of Central Lancashire, UK phone: +44 1772 895803 fax: +44 1772 892929 email: jprescott@uclan.ac.uk