I’m a little late on this one, but it’s good news for those of us that occasionally run late on things. The deadline for this year’s excellent Games+Learning+Society 5.0 conference has been extended by a few weeks to March 2nd. Check out the full CFP below:

Games+Learning+Society 5.0: Learning Through Interaction
http://glsconference.org

June 10-12, 2009 Madison, WI

CALL FOR PAPERS

Back by demand and now expanded to accommodate last year’s waiting list, the GLS conference this year will features substantive discussion and collaboration among academics, designers, and educators interested in how videogames –- commercial games and otherwise -– can enhance learning, culture, and education. This year’s theme of “Learning through Interaction” highlights the expansive nature of our definition of games & game culture to include research and design in areas including popular culture and fandom, interactive design more generally, and digital/visual cultures. This three-day conference will be held at the UW’s historic Memorial Union, overlooking downtown Madison’s beautiful Lake Mendota.

Conference highlights also include keynotes by leaders in both academics and industry, interactive workshops on game design and games research, both individual and symposia presentation sessions, “chat n’ frags” in the arcade for hands-on gameplay, an evening poster session over cocktails & hors d’oeuvres, an evening machinima festival in the playhouse theatre, and fireside chats that enable thorough, cozy conversations among speakers and attendees. We encourage the submission of traditional paper sessions as well as innovative talk formats which focus on game design, game culture, and games’ potential for learning and society more broadly.

Confirmed Speakers include: James Paul Gee, Doug Church, Kurt Squire, Drew Davidson, Lisa Nakamura, Alex Chisholm, Bonnie Nardi, Idit Caperton, Constance Steinkuehler, Steve Thorne, Mia Consalvo, Elonka Dunin, Eric Zimmerman.

Submissions deadline has been extended and all submissions are now due online by Monday March 2, 2009. Complete submission guidelines can be found on the submissions site, here.

I’m not an unbiased observer — GLS is run by the University of Wisconsin-Madison GLS faculty, staff, and students; I was the poster session coordinator last year and will be again this year. Regardless, I heartily recommend the conference as a timely, informative, and fun meeting that is unlike any academic conference I’ve ever attended. We feature a variety of talk formats (from traditional panels to “fireside chats” and “chat n’ frags”), an excellent mix of people (game designers and teachers in addition to academics), and some rad gaming (I think we had four Rock Band setups last year, not to mention a classic gaming area and a World of Warcraft LAN party).

If you do anything related to games, learning, or even just “learning with interaction” (this year’s theme, encompassing more than games), please consider sending in a proposal! Madison’s beautiful in June, and we’d love to see you here.