The 2023 Ecogames Summer School hosted by Utrecht University will take place from 21st August to 25th August in the Netherlands.
The theme of the summer school is ‘Games and Play for Sustainability Awareness, Communication and Action’ and includes sessions on hacking games for climate communication, metagaming practices and sustainable game develoment and production. The summer school has been designed in collaboration with the Manchester Game Centre, and some sessions will be led by MGC staff, hosted by Utrecht University’s Center for Game Research and its Green Media programme.
The full course outline and details of how to apply are included below. If you are a Manchester Metropolitan University student and are interested in applying, please contact P.Wake@mmu.ac.uk for details.
Summer School: Ecogames. Games and Play in Sustainability Awareness, Communication and Action (21st - 25th Aug. 2023)
** Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands **
With the impending climate crisis and its short-term repercussions becoming more ‘tangible’ every year, popular media and especially games - both digital and analogue - are increasingly drawing attention as powerful tools for climate education, communication and action. The summer course builds on and contributes to a growing body of scholarship that explores this phenomenon, situating it within the broader field of environmental humanities and ‘green media’ studies. We investigate how ‘ecogames’ complement existing ecomedia (e.g. film, television, photography, performance or music) and approach the study and societal application of ecogames from a variety of research traditions, including the humanities, social sciences, sustainability studies, economics and creative practice research.
For that purpose, the summer school brings together leading researchers in the field of ecogames from the universities of Warsaw (Poland), Manchester (UK), Cologne (Germany), Aalborg/Copenhagen (Denmark), Oslo (Norway), and Utrecht (Netherlands). Each day is dedicated to a different theme/methodology, ranging from ecocritical game analysis (day 1), (board) game modification for climate communication (day 2), metagaming (eco)practices (day 3) and ecogame production as well as reception (day 4) to ecogame aesthetics (day 5), which situates ecogames in a broader media context by emphasizing the role of sound and music.
The summer school is aimed at students (from ambitious BA and MA/MSc students to PhD candidates) as well as members of private and public sector institutions (companies, NGOs, activist groups etc.) that may already utilize games or gamified systems for environmental communication, education and action, or simply aim to better understand how and when to use them.
Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until August 9th, 2022.
For more information (including a tentative program) and to apply online: https://utrechtsummerschool.nl/courses/humanities/ecogames-games-and-play-in-sustainability-awareness-communication-and-action
COURSE LEADER: Dr. Stefan Werning | s.werning@uu.nl
CREDITS: 2,5 ECTS credits (whether this is extracurricular or can be used for curricular credit, e.g. as a tutorial, is determined by the participant’s home university; the amount of credits accepted can also vary per institution) + certificate of attendance (can be graded upon request)
COURSE FEE: €300 | Covers administrative costs, course materials and catering (light lunches and hot/cold drinks as well as a welcome dinner). Subsidized housing is available at €200 for the whole week.
LOCATION: Utrecht University, Drift 25, 3512 BR Utrecht (room 1.02)