JARPS 2024 Symposium (online)

Save the date for a 3-hour conference on analog roleplaying games, featuring the 2024 special issue of The Japanese Journal of Analog Role-Playing Game Studies (JARPS) on access and accessibility and organized in collaboration with Game in Lab.

A detailed program and information on how to register will follow in the coming days.

Date: 2024/11/23
Time: 12:00-15:00 CET | 20:00-23:00 JST

This year’s symposium explores the multifaceted challenges and innovative solutions surrounding cultural, cognitive, and physical accessibility in analog gaming, fostering a more inclusive and diverse gaming community.
Access and accessibility in gaming are vast and complex issues, from the production of game texts, images, mechanics, and material to their reception and appropriation by players and gaming spaces. We seek to explore how barriers come up, are faced by players and/or broken to make games more inclusive, not only for players with disabilities but also for those from diverse cultural, linguistic, and socio-economic backgrounds. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, translation/localization, adaptive game mechanics for players with different abilities, representation of diverse cultures and identities in game narratives, and the physical design of gaming materials and spaces to accommodate diverse needs.

The 2024 JARPS Symposium features presentations from scholars and practitioners worldwide dealing with various aspects of inclusivity and accessibility (detailed program available after registration). The presentations are based on articles submitted to the 2024 special issue of the journal, entitled " Welcome to Join: Exploring Access and Accessibility in Analog Role-Playing Games."