ISAGA 2014 - 45th ISAGA conference

The conference is being held jointly by ISAGA (International Simulation and Gaming Association) and SAGSAGA (Swiss Austrian German Simulation and Gaming Association). It is the first ISAGA conference in Austria. In 2004 SAGSAGA and ISAGA held the last joint conference in Munich. Now 10 years later the venue is Vorarlberg, Austria ?s westernmost state. Its location goes well with the three-nation association of SAGSAGA because Vorarlberg is located in the middle of the Alps, on the shores of Lake Constance ( central Europe’s third largest freshwater lake) that is shared by Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The host, the University of Applied Sciences Vorarlberg (FHV), has a long tradition of designing and using simulation games. Gaming simulation methods are used in all study programs and about 50 simulation games are currently in use. A large number of professors and lecturers actively use gaming methods for learning. Students also learn through the design of games as part of projects for local companies and organizations.
The Program of the ISAGA 2014 will include:
Presentation of state‐of‐the art developments in the gaming domain, including research, evaluation, facilitation, debriefing and design.
Plenary keynote lectures and keynote actions and panel discussion sessions.
Thematic research sessions and poster presentations focus on gaming related to academic research and analytical science traditions (with best paper and best poster award; peer‐review process).
Active gameplay and open space interactive sessions with a focus on gaming as part of an art, craft and design science tradition.
A game for a real client will be designed throughout the conference and the design process will be documented. Participants can actively design or observe the design process and the prototype game will be played in a plenary action session.
Special conference games will be exclusively developed for the event and played during ISAGA 2014. One game will use traditional haptic game materials. It is highly interactive and will involve all participants for the whole duration of the conference. Another game will use newest mobile phone and app technology. It will be a GPS‐ based adventure conference game.
The conference is a forum for enhancing gaming simulation and related approaches. A wide range of methods including traditional gaming methods such as computer and web‐based simulation games, board based games, role‐play games, learning games, policy exercises and scenario games etc., as well as new developments in digital games, game‐based learning and gamification etc. will be discussed.
The program includes a two‐days gaming product showroom. More than 30 companies are partners of the conference and they will show their gaming products and services.
In addition ISAGA 2014 organizes a public “Time Capsule of Gaming” exhibition about 45 years of history of ISAGA and about 250 years of gaming simulation in the German speaking countries. A rich social program will enable you to explore the stimulating mix of high‐carat culture and dazzling natural scenery of Vorarlberg. Due to its central location and the excellent transport connections, Vorarlberg is a great place to explore Europe ( Cities such as Zurich / Switzerland, Milan / Italy and Munich / Germany are all within easy reach).
We are looking forward to seeing you in Dornbirn / Austria in July 2014!
Willy Christian Kriz
(Organizer of ISAGA 2014 and Chair of SAGSAGA)