Proceedings of the 2009 ACM SIGGRAPH Symposium on Video Games

We are very excited to introduce the papers and panels for the fourth annual Sandbox Symposium, which is now the Game Papers track of the SIGGRAPH conference! This is our third year of printed proceedings, which features an innovative blend of papers on topics such as kinesthetics and movement, user interface design, persuasive games, and programming techniques and tools. We had over 80 high-quality submissions and chose 20 papers to be presented at the conference. Additions this year include a social game that involves business card swapping; an onsite GameJam!, or 24-hour game design competition; IndieCade, an exhibit of independent game development; and Real-Time Rendering, a series of live demos of video games and real-time simulations. There are also two game development courses: Advances in Real-Time Rendering in 3D Graphics and Games I and II. And finally, Will Wright, game designer and creator of Spore and The Sims, is providing the Tuesday keynote address of the conference, "Playing with Perception." This year's Game Papers track features papers on both the theoretical and practical aspects of game development and design, and includes proofs of concept, case studies, critiques and explorations. The authors of these papers show a diversity of expertise and breadth of experiences that echoes the games community itself. They come from both academia and industry, or bridge the gap between; they have backgrounds in literature, pedagogy, health, physics, art history, cinematography, design, ecology, activism, programming and psychology. Many submissions this year centered on supporting physical movement through play and on the intersection between the real and virtual, suggesting that the definition of games and what games can do is growing and expanding. We hope to continue to serve as a site of scholarship on all aspects of games-practice, theory, design and participation. The first paper session, on Tuesday morning, is "Supporting Social and Persuasive Play," which presents four papers that highlight games that aim to persuade, raise awareness, and educate through participatory game play. Tuesday afternoon's paper session, "Game Mechanics and Design Projects" brings together four papers that describe design and prototyping principles and techniques for games and social networking. Wednesday morning's "Kinesthetic Movement in Games I" features papers that describe how to design and analyze game interfaces to better support virtual and physical game experiences. The two curated panels feature game designers, thinkers and researchers in a moderated discussion on cutting edge issues in the fields. Wednesday's panel, "Instigating Change: Models for Positive Games" is a discussion of games that entertain and also have unique positive social aspects that can empower forms of critical play and encourage people to take positive action. Thursday's panel, "The Art History of Games," explores ideas surrounding games as an art form, the role of technology in the development of game and the relationship among games, the established art world, "fine art" forms, and the cultural traditions of art. Please note that there are three other games-focused panels as well, "Getting a Job in CG for Entertainment," "Keeping a Job in CG for Entertainment" and "Simulated Physics in Games." Thursday morning's paper session, "Kinesthetic Movement in Games II" reveal insights into game mechanics and play for games with real, virtual and potentially physical components. The final paper session, Thursday afternoon's "3-D and the Cinematic in Games" brings together four papers on cutting-edge cinematography, lighting, and fluid simulation techniques in game development. other panels as well, "Getting a Job in CG for Entertainment," "Keeping a Job in CG for Entertainment" and "Simulated Physics in Games."