The Queerness and Games Conference, to be held at the University of California, Berkeley, from Oct. 26-27, is accepting submissions for talks, presentations, panels, workshops and creative activities, according to the event's official website.
The weekend conference is designed to bring together academics and developers to "embark on an innovative and interdisciplinary exploration of the intersection between LGBT issues and video games."
Those interested in submitting a talk or panel can view the submission guidelines here. Some of the suggested topics include (but are not limited to):
▪ What does it mean to read video games as queer?
▪ Where can we situate the ludic in queer studies?
▪ How do other issues of representation, like race, figure into the discussion?
▪ What is the current state of LGBT representation in games?
▪ What is the current state of LGBT issues in the games industry?
▪ How can game design itself respond to concerns about LGBT representation?
▪ What are the key issues in this emerging field? What is at stake in its definition?
▪ Are these concerns shifting? What does/should the future hold?
The event is free and open to the public. Submissions close July 1, 2013.