The Tampere Game Research Lab has hosted an international spring seminar for work-in-progress papers annually since 2005. As all participants have been able to read each paper in advance, the seminar has offered a unique place for informed discussion and to receive worthwhile and relevant criticism. Each seminar has had a timely theme and two or more expert commentators.
2024: META – (Commentators: Stephanie Boluk, Patrick LeMieux & Sebastian Deterding)
2023: Party! – (Commentators: Mia Consalvo & Olli Sotamaa)2022: GameBooks – (Commentators: Souvik Mukherjee, Hanna-Riikka Roine & Raine Koskimaa)
2021: Monstrosity – (Commentators: Aino-Kaisa Koistinen, Sarah Stang & Jaroslav Švelch)
2020: CANCELLED, due to the global Coronavirus epidemic, Immersive Experiences: see the new website, at: https://springseminar.org/.
2019: Urban Play – (Commentators: Dale Leorke, TAU, and Sybille Lammes from Leiden University, plus Troy Innocent, Melbourne, as the Artist Keynote)
2018: Making Games – (Commentators: Casey O’Donnell from Michigan State University and Annakaisa Kultima from Aalto University)
2017: Spectating Play – (Commentators: Nicholas Taylor from NC State University and Tanja Sihvonen from the University of Vaasa)
2016: Money and Games – (Commentators: Juho Hamari from University of Tampere and Pauliina Raento from University of Helsinki)
2015: Adult Play – (Commentators: Ashley Brown from Brunel University of London and Jaakko Stenros from University of Tampere). A selection of the papers from this seminar will be published as a special issue in Games and Culture journal.
2014: Critical Evaluation of Game Studies – (Commentators: Jesper Juul from The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and Bart Simon from Concordia University, with keynote by Espen Aarseth from IT University of Copenhagen.) A selection of the papers from this seminar will also be published as a special issue in Games and Culture.
2013: Physical and Digital in Games and Play – (Commentators: Annika Waern from Uppsala University and Katriina Heljakka from Aalto University.) A selection of the papers from this seminar have been published as a special issue of ToDiGRA journal.
2012: Role-Playing in Games – (Commentators: Torill Mortensen from ITU Copenhagen and J. Tuomas Harviainen from University of Tampere.)
2011: Games and Innovation – (Commentators: F. Ted Tschang from Singapore Management University, Jason Della Rocca from Perimeter Partners, Montreal and Mirva Peltoniemi from Aalto University.) You can check out the proceedings here.
2010: Games Research Methods – (Commentators: Mikael Jakobsson from Malmö University and Jussi Holopainen from Nokia Research Center.) A selection of the papers from this seminar have been published as a special issue of Simulation & Gaming journal.
2009: Playful Experiences – (Commentators: Aki Järvinen from ITU Copenhagen and Oskar Juhlin from The Interactive Institute)
2008: Breaking the Magic Circle – (Commentators: Markus Montola from University of Tampere and Simon Niedenthal from Malmö University)
2007: Gamers in Society – (Commentators: T.L. Taylor from ITU Copenhagen and Daniel Pargman from Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm)
2006: Playing Roles – (Commentators: Craig A. Lindley from University of Gotland and Lisbeth Klastrup from ITU Copenhagen.) The International Journal of Role-Playing was initiated at this seminar.
2005: Creative Gamers – (Commentators: Henry Jenkins from MIT and Mikko Lehtonen from University of Tampere).