In 2025 the Board Game Studies Colloquium happened in Chemnitz (Saxony, Germany), which is the actual European Capital of Culture, in cooperation with the Europäische Spielesammler Gilde (European Game Collectors Guild).
Its members, who own valuable private collections of games, board games, and playing cards, have been taking part in the Board Game Studies for decades, and their network includes the major associations, museums, and archives of Austria and Germany devoted to the preservation and promotion of board games as cultural heritage.
It included the Game Archive of Nurnberg, where the Board Game Studies 2016 took place, and among its members are Tom Werneck and Bruce Whitehill, who remarkably contributed to the promotion and dissemination of the activities of the Board Game Studies Colloquium.
Over 100 people were registered. Of these 75 attended in person and the remainder attended online only. Delegates spanned short of two dozen nationalities including participants from Argentina, Australia, Austria, Denmark, France, Switzerland, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and, the United States of America. A homogenous gender and age balance was observed but not polled for.
All sessions were streamed online for registered participants only. This hybrid form intended to make our yearly exchange accessible to regulars and newcomers who did not manage to travel. Recordings will not be published or released, and were kept for a limited time only on the streaming platform to the closed private group for viewing only. The organization does not take liability for any copyright or image rights.
The organization counted on the support of
SIS Sächsisches Institut für Spiel UG, DVSI Deutscher Verband der Spielwarenindustrie e. V., Europäische Spielesammler Gilde e.V. OSTIA Spiele, Spiel de Jahres, and, Ludus
The 27th Board Game Studies Colloquium will take place in Chemnitz, Germany, April 8-11, 2025.
To register we ask you to:
- Fill out the form above;
- Pay the conference fee.
Payments can be made via Bank or PayPal transfer made out to ludus@ludicum.org. You can find payment information in the registration form; - Send proof of payment to ludus@ludicum.org.
Conference Fee: €175
Undergraduate Fee: €80
NOTE that talk proposals should be submitted independently, please refer to our call for papers here.
Program
Subjected to possible minor changes.
All talks will happen in the Conference rooms at Die Fabrik, Zwickauer Str. 145, 09116 Chemnitz
8th April, Tuesday
The Registration Desk opens at 8:30
8:50 – 12:15 Morning Sessions
Welcome, Cynthia Kempe and Thomas Kempe
Ambiguity and board games – on the trace of Brian Sutton-Smith in Chemnitz, J. Peter Lemcke (ESG)
The intangible, the ephemeral, and the preservation fallacy: collecting mancala board games, Alex de Voogt (Drew University)
From official history to face of battle, Mike Cosgrave (Dept of Digital Humanities, University College, Cork)
— — — Coffee Break — — —
Les Jeux d’Esprit, a gamebox” or “The JEUX project : preparing early-modern games for players today”, Hannah Freundlich (University of Oslo, Norway)
Friedrich-Wilhelm von Mauvillon, Ingram Braun
The unfinished game before and after the advent of probability, Carla Cardoso (Ludus)
12:15 – 14:00 Break for Lunch
14:30 – 17:30 Afternoon Sessions
Some notes on n-player Mancalas: Considering Mathematical Games in Education, Tiago Hirth (Interuniversity Center for the History of Science and Technology, Ludus)
Polish Board Game Market in the Years 1949–89, Michał Stajszczak (Independent Researcher)
Games in Italy in the 1960s: The Outstanding Season of the Corriere dei Piccoli Magazine, Cosimo Cardellicchio (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Italy)
— — — Coffee Break — — —
Pieter Curten and the Malay draughts game, Liuwe Westra (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen)
Face to face with Argentinian Truco: origins and evolution, Nicolás Martínez Sáez (Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Argentina)
Los juegos de tablero de los pueblos indígenas sudamericanos y su aplicación a la enseñanza de la geometría, Stela Maris Ferrarese (Museo del Juguete Etnico Allel Kuzen) – Remote Presenter
Informal program: rooftop bar for networking.
Friendly Football Match
9th April, Wednesday
8:50 – 12:15 Morning Sessions
Collecting and preserving games as a cultural asset, Gyaneshwar Singh R (Ramsons Kala Pratishtana, Mysore, India) – Remote Presenter
A register of old frisian draughts boards, Marten Walinga (Independent Researcher)
The gaming collection of the MAC-Barcelona, Ilaria Truzzi (University of Reading)
What we talk about when we talk about games: Ludic terms across linguistic glossaries, Jacob Schmidt-Madsen (Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin)
— — — Coffee Break — — —
Early electric quiz games, Melissa Rogerson (The University of Melbourne)
The history of dice machines over four centuries, Jakob Gloger (Independent Researcher)
The foldable three-games-box: a revolutionary concept, Ulrich Schädler (University of Fribourg)
12:15 – 14:30 Break for Lunch
14:00 – 17:30 Afternoon Sessions
Board games in higher education – A personal account, Jorge Nuno Silva (University of Lisbon, CIUHCT, Ludus)
Creating an international legacy of games, Bruce Whitehill (AGPI; BGS; ESG; SAZ)From bakelite to boardgames: the plastic revolution in classic game pieces, 1800s-1900s, Douglas Polumbaum (Independant Researcher)
— — — Coffee Break — — —
Eurogames in the east? On the innovativeness of the games industry in the last phase of the GDR, Michael Conrad (University of Konstanz, Literature, Art and Media Studies)
Nachgemachte Spiele in der DDR – Spiegel, Subversion und kulturelles Erbe, Martin Thiele-Schwez (Dr. Martin Thiele-Schwez, Playing History GmbH, Berlin, Deutschland)
Juden Raus! Revisited, Mauricio Castro Valdez (Independent Researcher) – Remote Presenter
Informal Evening
City Tour
10th April, Thursday
8:50 – 12:15 Morning Sessions
Graffiti games of central Maharashtra: new documentations, revision and theory, Ashwini Gawli (Independent Researcher) – Remote Presenter
Curating art works to visually preserve the cultural asset of games, Dharmendra H.S. (Ramsons Kala Pratishtana) – Remote Presenter
Collecting Cupid, Eddie Duggan (Independent Researcher)
Monkeys in art. The function of monkeys in board games, Wim van Mourik Wim (KNDB)
— — — Coffee Break — — —
The origin of Chinese Checkers – in Germany, China or Japan?, Peter Michaelsen (Independent Researcher)
“Pilkentafel” problems. On the history of shovelboard, Jonas Richter (Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities) and James Masters (Independent Researcher)
Mehen: Petrie’s ‘Serpent Stone’. Genesis of the very concept of a board game?, James Masters (Independent Researcher)
Afternoon, Conference Excursion
or
ALTENBURG PLAYING CARD MUSEUM and YOSEPHINUM
19:30 Conference Dinner at Die Fabrik
11th April, Friday
8:50 – 12:15 Morning Sessions
Comparative analysis of ceremonial spaces and game board layouts in ancient India, Rachna, Amit S and Sundaram, Deshmukh ( MIT Institute of Design – MIT ADT University) – Remote Presenter
GameMood – An empirical framework for emotions in boardgames, Mehringer Volker (University Augsburg)
Let’s play! – social and emotional skill training with boardgames, Valentiner-Branth Christina (Brettspielakademie)
Board games between self and world, Katharina Herde (Bielefeld University)
— — — Coffee Break — — —
Board game classes in lower secondary education: A novel approach to fostering 21st century skills – more than 2 sides of a die, Cornelia Hofmann (Wissenschaftliche Einrichtung Laborschule an der Universität Bielefeld)
A University collection of board games in France: issues of recognition, cataloging, and preservation, Vincent Berry and Louis Delespierre (Sorbonne Paris Nord University)12:15 – 14:30 Break for Lunch
Board game digitization on tabletop simulator: platform, preservation, and piracy, Mirek Stolee (The Strong National Museum of Play | University of Central Florida)
14:00 – 17:10 Afternoon Sessions
Beyond good and evil – About board game (facilitation) ethics, Christian Hoffstadt (Denkhafen, KIT)
These games are nice, but I can’t play them – About the lack of accessibility in board games, Valerie Quade (Ludovico Graz)
Frustration, fatigue, & fiddliness: why your favourite board game might be fighting against you, Michele Masini (VIE Genoa) & Marcello Passarelli (Game Science Research Center, Lucca)
— — — Coffee Break — — —
Smart games, cool games: interrogating a collection to better understand the role of technology in board games, Annie Xiang (Sorbonne Paris Nord University)
The role of color in board-game design from a historical perspective, Daniele Aurelio (University of Milan)
Mancala in Türkiye: Unearthing Connections Across Anatolia and Beyond, Fatih Parlak (Cappadocia University, Türkiye) – Remote Presenter
Cloture
Call for Papers
Submission is Closed and Results have been Released
For the 27th edition of the Board Game Studies Colloquium, we invite participants to engage with the following themes:
- Collecting and preserving the cultural asset of games
- History through games, using the example of the GDR
- Seriously? Should we rethink gamification?
- Games and education – two faces of a die.
The main topic: Collecting and preserving games as a cultural asset.
Who collects games and why? In most cases, private individuals, private companies (e.g. publishers) or public institutions (e.g. museums, archives) do this. It is often based on private interest of the collectors or follows collection concepts. It would be desirable for everyone to work together in order to represent and preserve cultural assets in their entirety. This requires constant exchange, communication and agreement on basic methods of cataloging, archiving and accessing collections. We are currently observing that many private collections are looking for a future home, whether due to advanced age, the death of the collector, lack of space or simply because interests have changed.
There are already various exciting approaches that we would like to think about and discuss further, and certainly want and need to rethink. This applies both nationally and internationally to games as a cultural heritage of humankind. “The cultural asset of play in the Germany Democratic Republic”.
The GDR existed for almost 40 years before the unity of the two German states was restored in 1990. Of course, there was also a games industry in the GDR that was based on earlier traditions. This was shaped by the mechanisms of the socialist planned economy and developed in a completely different way to the BRD, for example. This can be seen in the content of the games, their materiality and their quality. And the political change in 1990 also brought the end of the GDR games industry in many areas. There is some fundamental research and collections on games in the GDR – we would like to continue the exchange and gain new insights at this point. “Gamification” – this buzzword has been used in many contexts and constellations for several years now. Everywhere there has been gamification and everything can be gamified, even by people who do not actually know what it means to play. One can speak of an overuse of this topic. We would like to look at it from the perspective of those who really know about games, deal with it and think about new approaches in the context of games education. Let us discuss these and more in the European Capital of Culture 2025: Chemnitz!
They should include the following: • Title • Abstract (200 to 500 words) • Author’s brief bio • Other information is also welcome, i.e. recent publications, institutional affiliations, and academic or other relevant credentials. Submissions should use the following form no later than December 31th, 2024. You will be notified if your proposal has been accepted in mid-February. Presentations should not exceed twenty minutes to allow time for questions and discussion.
Timeline & info
Slides: PowerPoint, Keynote-type, PDF.
Lenght of the talks: 20 minutes.
Language: English (let us know in case you are considering to present in a different language).
Deadline: 31 December 2024. (Extended 12 January 2025)
Response: 09 February 2025.
Publication of the program: 15 March 2025.
Closing of the registration: 01 April 2025.
The evaluation process
The papers will be submitted to a blind revision process evaluating:
- Scientific relevance of the topic selected: how the argument proposed correspond to an interests felt by the scholars that study board games;
- Innovation: how the lecture proposed could shed a light on neglected aspects, open new perspective or area of research;
- Scientific quality of the work: how the lecture proposed would match the expectations of an academical public in terms of methods, results, and presentation.
How to Reach & Stay in Chemnitz
The European Capital of Culture 2025, located near Leipzig and Dresden by the Ore Mountains, is Chemnitz, Saxony’s third-largest city. Founded in 1143, it thrived during industrialization, becoming a hub for mechanical engineering, textiles, locomotives, and automotive innovations, including the origins of Audi. Cultural highlights include museums of industry, transport, and games, renowned art collections, and historic architecture. Unique features include petrified horsetails and the iconic Karl Marx bust, known as “Nischel.”
For some suggestions please look at our write up here.
Travel to and Around Chemnitz
Flying to Chemnitz
While Chemnitz does not have a comercial airport multiple options offer themselves close by. Major airports include Berlin(BERPRG), Frankfurt am Main (FRA), or even Prague (PRG) while the closest and best options are:
- Leipzig/Halle airport (LEJ)
Leipzig/Halle Airport has its own railway station directly below the check-in area and is connected to the local and long-distance rail services of Deutsche Bahn. Passengers and visitors can easily reach the check-in hall by escalator and lift. You can reach Leipzig/Halle Airport with the S-Bahn Central Germany, using lines S5 and S5X. You can find more information here. - Dresden airport (DRS)
Dresden Airport station is located in the basement of the terminal. There, the S-Bahn line S2 runs every half hour to the long-distance stations Dresden-Neustadt and Dresden Hauptbahnhof. Further information can be found here.
Railway
Chemnitz is connected to the long-distance railway network of Deutsche Bahn. You can
reach Chemnitz via Leipzig (RE6 Mitteldeutsche Regionbahn), Dresden (RE3, RB30
Mitteldeutsche Regiobahn) or Nuremberg (via ICE503 via Leipzig RE6)
By Car
- A4 freeway (Autobahn)
Dresden (A4 80 km), Berlin (A4 -> A13 260 km), Erfurt (150 km) - A72 freeway (Autobahn)
Leipzig (A72 80 km), Nuremberg (A72 -> A9 237 km), Munich (A72 -> A9 390 km)
The best way to reach the event center “die fabrik” is via the A72, exit Chemnitz Süd. Take the B173 (Neefestraße) for approx. 3.5 km in the direction of the city center. Please pay attention to the innercity speed limit of 50km/h (traffic control). Approx 1.0 km after the highway exit, the road leads straight ahead under a bridge into a short tunnel. Follow the left lane into the tunnel. Past the Chemnitz exhibition center. When the road bends to the left and passes under a railroad bridge, get into the left lane at the traffic lights. (Orientation American Dinner) Turn left onto Zwickauer Straße. After 150m you will reach “die Fabrik” on the left.
The free parking spaces are located in the inner courtyard.
Local transport
Chemnitz has a well-developed local transport system. There are trams, buses and taxis.
- Tram Line 1 (red)
The event center “die fabrik” is a 2-minute walk from the tram stop on line 1 (red) “Kappler Drehe”. - Bus Line 23 and Line 43 (purple)
The bus stop for lines 23 and 43 Platner Straße is a 2-minute walk away from “die fabrik”.
Suggestions for the accommodation
- Die Fabrik
Zwickauer Str. 145, 09116 Chemnitz
E-Mail: hello@diefabrik.de
The following two hotels have a discount if you mention the Subject “Board Game Studies” on reservation:
- B&B Hotel Chemnitz
Address: Zwickauer Str. 13, 09112 Chemnitz
Phone: +49 371 35505880
E-Mail: chemnitz@hotelbb.com - Biendo Hotel
Address: Str. der Nationen 12, 09111 Chemnitz
Phone: +49 371 4331920
E-Mail: m.leiss@biendo-hotel.de - Congress Hotel Chemnitz
Address: Brückenstraße 19, 09111 Chemnitz
Phone: +49 371 6830
WerbeCode: BGSC
Other options include:
- Hotel Chemnitzer Hof (upscale classic, in the centre)
Address: Theaterplatz 4, 09111 Chemnitz
Phone: +49 371 6840 - Jugendherberge Chemnitz “Eins”;
Getreidemarkt 1, 09111 Chemnitz, Center of the City
Phone: +49 371 27809897
E-Mail: chemnitz-city@jugendherberge.de
