cfp: Women, video games, and modding

deadline for submissions:
November 1, 2017
full name / name of organization:
Bridget Whelan / McFarland Books
contact email:
bawhelan@gmail.com


This is a call for article-length scholarly contributions for inclusion in a proposed collection of essays (to be published by McFarland) broadly focused around the topic of women and video game “modding.”



Potential topics may include:

Romance mods, including the politics of modding race and sexuality, NPC (“non-player character”) availability, NPC appearance, and creating or extending canonical romantic scenes
Modding the body: what sort of mods are women creating and using on their own characters? Can mods express dissatisfaction with base game character creation options?
Modding communities: how have online spaces like Tumblr fostered modding communities for women? The importance of crediting modders, the policing of gamers on how to use and credit use of mods, collaborative modding communities versus “lone wolf” modders, the backlash against websites like Nexus
Essays focused on particular games, such a Dragon Age, The Sims, or Skyrim
The relationship between female modders and developers: do developers ever respond to modder creations? Is base game content ever altered to appease modder interests? Do developers ever express disagreement or lack of support for modders?
Using modding and game creation in girls' education.
This list is far from expansive; any proposed essay addressing some aspect of female gamers and modding will be considered.



Please email a 500-word abstract to bawhelan@gmail.com by Nov 1, 2017. Completed essays are also welcome in lieu of an abstract. Essays should be about 10,000 words in length (final length can be fairly flexible, however). Completed first drafts will be expected sometime around Jun 1, 2018. Please also include a short bio with your abstract submission.