[DiGRA UK] DiGRA aims, objectives and organisational structure.

[Esther MacCallum-Stewart]

Actually, it probably makes more sense to show those who haven't seen it a
selection of the paperwork sent in our application (yay! paperwork!)

Here is a TL:DR version.

DiGRA UK has been set up to develop academic practice and research in the
UK, emphasising networking across academic cultures and other aspects of
gaming which include the industry, other practitioners and independent
games developers

We are running a flexible programme of events which can include 'bolt on'
events - so if you were already running something and wanted DiGRA's name
attached in some way, the committee will discuss this.

- we want these events to be DIVERSE! Thus the launch event is not a series
of seminar papers, it's a provocation session in which we can discuss core
issues in games, with some flash moments from our guest speakers. We've
also had suggestions of games jams, sandbox events and hackspaces for
research. All ideas are welcome.

We encourage people to become members but at the moment you do not have to
be one to attend or host an event. However, some caveats:

- this doesn't apply to 'big DiGRA'. If you go to the main international
conference, you have to pay and this includes a membership fee. DiGRA UK
membership is a separate thing.

- becoming a member means we can finance things like larger events. At the
moment we can't because DiGRA UK is being run voluntarily.

- some events where DiGRA is present may charge a fee (for example, Under
The Mask and Fascinate are conferences in their own right, with DiGRA
associated to one or more aspects)

- at the June event we will be forming the committee.  The prevailing
feeling at the two preliminary meetings has been that we need some
organisation, but that we should also try to run in as flexible as way as
possible. If you want to run an event, you will be invited to sit on the
committee, for example. So far this has been successful!

Here are the aims of DiGRA UK as sent to the main DiGRA Board:

*Rationale for Chapter Status:*

Having a UK Chapter would create greater coherence between members of DiGRA
based in the UK. It would give them a sense of belonging and a strong
network infrastructure to relate to. This is particularly important for
students and junior researchers. Furthermore, it would provide an
organisational framework for UK-based events, funding schemes, industry
partnerships and training. In the light of the recent economic state of the
UK and its educational establishments, DiGRA UK will also provide a
platform for those academics unable to attend DiGRA conferences overseas.

Members will include a mixture of academics at British Higher Education and
Further Education institutions and industry professionals.

*Geographical area*

The chapter will serve the entire geographical area of the United Kingdom.
In the UK , these gaming communities are well established and extensive,
and we would aim to include groups from England, Scotland, Northern Ireland
and Wales within the organisation.

 *Outline of the chapter aims, objectives and activities*

Like its umbrella organisation, DiGRA UK will act as an international
advocate and networking platform aiming to set teaching standards and
engage directly with the entertainment software industry. It seeks to
promote interdisciplinarity, networking between researchers, industry,
policy-makers and educators, student support and mentoring (e.g. through
student prizes, output and conferences), advocacy and visibility,
educational standards.

The proposed committee at present also have a further remit to introduce
challenging ideas and concepts into the remit of Game Studies, in order to
further develop and critique existing theoretical and practical stances
towards games, gaming cultures and communities.

We also wish to extend the understanding of ‘Game Studies’ beyond
videogaming practices, in line with much current research into gaming.
DiGRA UK events might also address aspects contingent with digital games
such as pervasive gaming, mobile gaming, boardgames, tabletop games, live
action roleplaying, card games and street games.

*Plan of Meetings and Activities*

The first year of the chapter will be dedicated to running small core
events at Universities and Research Centres across the UK, with an emphasis
on presenting key topics to each location, and ensuring that these focus on
both the expertise available, and the wider experiences of gaming cultures
in the UK. Each session will also be tailored to vary the activities and
presentation of these topics, again to showcase the diversity of approaches
to games and related cultures currently available. These events will also
be tailored to the requirements or expectations of the host institution, in
order to leverage as much support as possible.

*Organisation*

In the first instance, we aim to elect a committee at the event in June
2014, at the University of the West of England, who will oversee the
running of each event, promote DiGRA UK in a wider sense., and assist with
the development of DiGRA across each organisation.

However, we expect the members of this committee to change in accordance
with need and location; so this will be a floating group. Organisers
responsible for each individual event will be asked to join this committee
over its duration, in order to keep each group manage their involvement
with the chapter.

The organisation will have its own mailing list and forums for all members,
and a smaller mailing list for the organising committee only. We already
have the domain name DiGRAUK.org, and prior to this, some work has been
done towards making the site live. In the first instance however, the
organisation will communicate through available social media whilst this
site is established. Proceedings, minutes and research findings will be
made available through the main DiGRA website.
-- 


Dr Esther MacCallum-Stewart

Senior Lecturer: Games, New Media and Online Communities (The University of
Surrey)
Research Fellow (Digital Cultures Research Centre, UWE)
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mail.digra.org/pipermail/uk/attachments/20140429/e3eb86a1/attachment.html