Call For Papers - Creative Methodologies: Practical Play and Media Multiplicities
In partnership with MeCCSA, the University of Sunderland is delighted to announce a special symposium on Creative Methodologies: Practical Play and Media Multiplicities, a two-day event, examining methodologies of practice-based media research, from podcasts to games making. Our keynote speakers for this event are: Lance Dann (The University of Brighton), Chloe Germaine (Manchester Metropolitan University) and Nick Lewis (The University of Sunderland).
This symposium aims to interrogate the wide range of creative methodologies in media research as a showcase for the multiplicities of media and cultural studies. This event incorporates a cross-disciplinary and inclusive approach to practice-based research. We welcome papers examining autoethnographies, participant-action-led games jams as a way of video game making, R&D as well as ludological and narratological approaches to game studies, peer reviewed podcasts, the utilisation of video game journals, AI approaches to methodologies. We are also open to proposals on creative methodologies we may not have mentioned as we appreciate the breadth and depth of media’s multiplicities.
The event celebrates the rich diversity of practice-based researchers, and the ways creative methodologies may be applied across media and cultural studies. Practice-based research allows for creativity over research, as well as practical outputs which can result in frameworks for diverse peoples, such as games jams providing opportunities to embed indigenous knowledge (Nijdam, 2022), podcast research publications and projects such as Podcast or Perish Rebel (McGregor, Cook and Beckstead, (2024) and Rebel Women of Sunderland (University of Sunderland) highlighting the voices of marginalised women, and close-textual analysis of media conducted via video creation (through projects such as Games Assist). Practice-based research “is situated in the world-of-concern defined by the practice usually ‘in the field’, that is in a real-world context with real world outcomes” (Candy, Edmonds, Vear, 2022, p.29)
This symposium is led by the University of Sunderland in partnership with MeCCSA. The University of Sunderland has had growth of creative practice focused research in the last few years, and the City of Sunderland has received investments in both film production, with the Crown Works film studios, as well as in Esports with the National Esports Performance campus. Sunderland is quickly becoming a city at the centre of the creative industries, and we look forward to welcoming research practitioners to our event.
We are currently seeking abstracts for this event, to be submitted no later than Friday 28th February 2025. We are seeking papers - which may be standard papers, podcasts, videos, streams, video journal entries, video/text based games - suggestions for roundtables, games jam proposals and any medium or proposal that you think may qualify under the banner of creative methodologies.
Some prompts for your consideration (but please do not feel limited):
Using Yogscast as a research tool
Podcast journal articles
Participant action research through Twine
Autoethnographies
Applying AI to methodological approaches
Researching place based creative industries (and their relations to local communities)
Abstracts of 300 words and accompanying author biographies of 200 words should be emailed to mediamultipliticies@sunderland.ac.uk and stephanie_farnsworth@sunderland.ac.uk by Friday 28th of March.
References:
Candy, L, Edmonds, E, and Vear, C (2022) 'Practice-based research' in Vear, C. (eds) The Routledge International Handbook of Practice-Based Research (p. 27-41) London, UK: Routledge
McGregor, H., Cook, I., and Beckstead, L. (2024) Podcast or Perish: Peer Review and Knowledge Creation in the 21st Century, London, UK: Bloomsbury Academic.
Nijdam, E. (2022) ‘Recentering Indigenous Epistemologies Through Digital Games: Sámi Perspectives on Nature in Rievssat (2018), SAGE Journals: Games and Culture, vol. 18. no.1 January 26th, Available online: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/15554120211068086
Rebel Women of Sunderland (2024), University of Sunderland, Available online: https://rebel-women-of-sunderland.captivate.fm/