The seminar will take place over three days, April 20-22, 2021. To support global participation, the seminar days are scheduled at 12.45–19.30 Finnish time (EEST/UTC+3/Helsinki time zone). You can check your local starting time here.
Tuesday, April 20
12.45 Introduction
13.00-15.00 Session 1: Monstrosity in game mechanics
- Marco Benoît Carbone: Walking with tentacles. Monstrosity in Carrion’s ‘reverse horror’ mechanics
- Eduardo H. Luersen, Guilherme Malo Maschke & Lauro Iglesias Quadrado: The internal abyss: Sonic abjection in the construction of computer game monsters
- J. Tuomas Harviainen & Johanna Granvik: An ecology for murder hobos: Diablo III as unsustainable monstrosity
15.00-15.30 Break
15.30-16.00 Keynote: Jaroslav Švelch: When the invaders shoot back: A media archaeology of player versus environment games
16.00-16.15 Break
16.15-17.45 Session 2: Monstrous systems and environments
- Rachel Linn: Un-mapping streams: Using monstrosity as a lens for Twitch chat
- Lars de Wildt: Hidden monsters: Conspiracy aesthetics in videogames
- Mateo Terrasa Torres & Víctor Navarro Remesal: A world turned monstrous: Environment and (un)being in Death Stranding
17.45-18.00 Break
18.00-19.30 Session 3: Negotiating boundaries and playing with monstrosity
- Diane Carr, Shakuntala Banaji & Hakan Ergül: Monstrous academics
- Leland Masek: Monstrosity and social condemnation in playful experiences
- Torill Mortensen: Digital games – The monsters that live in our homes and hearts
Wednesday, April 21
12.45 Introduction
13.00-15.00 Session 4: Folklore monsters, nationalism, and colonialism in games
- Rafael Marques de Albuquerque: Reinventing Brazilian folklore creatures in a digital game: A case study on the Caruani game
- Christoffer Mitch C. Cerda: Playing horrific history: Philippine mythological and folk creatures and the trauma of colonial history in the design and narrative of Nightfall: Escape
- Rachael Hutchinson: For the love of monsters: Yōkai and colonialism in Japanese games
- Dom Ford & Joleen Blom: “Not everyone can be a samurai”: Constructing Japanese-ness through monstrosity in Ghost of Tsushima
15.00-15.30 Break
15.30-16.00 Keynote: Sarah Stang: Succubi, sirens, harpies, and hags: Unpacking misogynistic female monstrosity in games
16.00-16.15 Break
16.15-17.45 Session 5: Games and non-human monstrosity
- Jaakko Stenros: NPCs are dehumanizing: Monster duty, robot metaphors, and werewolf pride in larp
- Leandro Lima & Dorota Walesa: The dark play(s) of monstrosities in NieR: Automata
- Marie-Luise Meier: Evil mothers and mechanical caretakers: intersection of robots, gender and monstrosity in video games
17.45-18.00 Break
18.00-19.00 Session 6: Gendered monstrosity in games
- Caighlan Smith: Monster-order brides; Framing the Bride of Frankenstein trope in The Wanderer, Fable II and Dragon Age II
- Joshua Jordan: Dryads, harpies, and hags: Grammatically feminine monstrosity across the editions of Dungeons & Dragons
Thursday, April 22
13.15 Introduction
13.30-15.30 Session 7: Monsters of the mind and representations of (dis)ability
- Rebecca Waldie: (Dis)ability on (dis)play
- Lisanne Meinen: Reappropriating monstrous minds: A neurodiversity approach to the depiction of psychosis in Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
- Sarah Lynne Bowman: Games of personal horror: Shadow work and role-playing experiences
- Kelli Dunlap & Rachel Kowert: The monstrosity of stigma: Mental health representation in video games
15.30-15.45 Break
15.45-16.15 Keynote: Aino-Kaisa Koistinen: Monstrosity as playful practice – Art, science and posthuman knowledge in the ‘Anthropocene’
16.15-16.30 Break
16.30-18.30 Session 8: Monstrous players and toxic gamer cultures
- Mateusz Felczak: Systemic monstrosity and narratives of identity in hybrid media spectacle: Toxicity and esports professionals
- Steven Dashiell: Discussions of drow and demonstrations of monstrosity in gamer masculinity
- Mikko Meriläinen, Jonne Arjoranta & Emilia Lounela: Fear and loathing on Ylilauta: A case study of toxic (gaming) culture
- Matilda Ståhl & Fredrik Rusk: Normativity and ethical dimensions within player centred research – On branding toxic players as monsters
18.30 Closing words
