Meaningful Play 2022 includes thought-provoking presentations from leaders in academia and industry, peer-reviewed paper presentations, panel sessions (including academic and industry discussions), innovative workshops, roundtable discussions, and exhibitions of games.
| Tuesday, October 11 |
| 6:00p-8:00p | Early Registration Check-In at East Lansing Marriott at University Place Lobby |
| Wednesday, October 12 |
| | Ballroom | MSU | Michigan | Huron | Superior | Ontario |
| 8:00a-9:00a | Registration Check-In and Continental Breakfast at Lobby (2nd floor of the MSU Union) |
| 9:00a-9:30a | Conference Welcome at MSU Union Ballroom |
| 9:30a-10:30a | The Game of Life: Meaningful Play Edition by Carrie Heeter (Keynote) at MSU Union Ballroom |
| 10:30a-11:00a | Break |
| 11:00a-12:00p | Children's Digital Playgrounds: The Hidden Politics of Child-Specific, Commercial and Connected Digital Games by Sara Grimes (Speaker) | Narrative Design and Theory (Papers) | Post-Mortems (Papers) | Creating Countercultures in Game Research (Workshop) | The Use of Board Games for Faculty Development to Improve Teaching (Panel) | Developing a Game Studies Curriculum (Roundtable) |
| 12:00p-2:00p | Birds of a Feather Lunch (on your own) |
| 2:00p-3:00p | A Demonstration of Design Methodologies for creating Accessible and Universal Games by Bill Fischer (Speaker) | Games in the Classroom (Papers) | Inclusive Design (Papers) | Exploring Pressure Through Play: Using Games for Team and Culture Building (Workshop) | Pairing Games and Books: An Underutilized Approach for Games and Learning (Panel) | Games for Healing (Roundtable) |
| 3:00p-3:30p | Break |
| 3:30p-4:30p | Embodied Intelligence & the Future of Play by Heidi Boisvert (Keynote) at MSU Union Ballroom |
| 4:30p-5:00p | Poster and Game Exhibition Setup Logistics at MSU Union Ballroom |
| 5:00p-7:00p | Dinner Break (on your own) |
| 7:00p-9:30p | Conference Reception, Game Exhibition, and Poster Session (Reception) at MSU Union Ballroom |
| Thursday, October 13 |
| | Ballroom | MSU | Michigan | Huron | Superior | Ontario |
| 8:00a-9:00a | Registration Check-In and Continental Breakfast at Lobby (2nd floor of the MSU Union) |
| 9:00a-10:00a | Magic, Myth, & Meaning in Game Design by Andy Phelps and Doris Rusch (Keynote) at MSU Union Ballroom |
| 10:00a-10:30a | Break |
| 10:30a-11:30a | A Philosophical View of Meaningful Play: Exemplified in Two Evolution Education Apps by Robert Pennock (Speaker) | Designing for Complex Interactions (Papers) | Quantitative Games Studies (Papers) | Transformed Reality: Designing for VR to create empathetic essential skill training (Workshop) | Games for Climate Action in the Arts: Exhibition, Design, and Performance (Panel) | Games in Education Contexts (Microtalks) |
| 11:30a-1:00p | Birds of a Feather Lunch (on your own) and Industry/Student Meet'n'Greet |
| 1:00p-2:00p | An Unquenchable Appetite: Games, Play, and Climate Change by Jessica Hammer (Speaker) | Gaming for Society 1 (Papers) | Games Design Education (Papers) | Roleplaying Consent (Workshop) | Gaming Against Violence (Panel) | Gamification (Microtalks) |
| 2:00p-2:30p | Break |
| 2:30p-3:30p | The Magic of Learning Games: Google First Wizarding College by Lauren Freda, Lisa Weinberg, Casey Kiel, Anne Kolaczyk, Elizabeth Lankford, John Kelly, Emily Scott and Chas Grundy (Speaker) | Gaming for Society 2 (Papers) | Theoretical Frameworks for Design (Papers) | Learning Deliberately: Walden EDU, a New Game-Based Curriculum (Workshop) | New Experiments Teaching with Games and Game Design (Panel) | Articulating a Super Sound: Musical Style and Technique in 1990s Roleplaying Games by Ryan Thompson (Speaker) |
| 3:30p-4:00p | Break |
| 4:00p-5:00p | Toxic, Schmoxic? Societal Repercussions for the Normalization of Hate in Gaming Spaces by Rachel Kowert (Keynote) at MSU Union Ballroom |
| 5:00p-7:00p | Dinner Break (on your own) |
| 7:00p-9:30p | Game Night!!! (Special Event) at MSU Union Ballroom |
| Friday, October 14 |
| | Ballroom | MSU | Michigan | Huron | Superior | Ontario |
| 8:00a-9:00a | Registration Check-In and Continental Breakfast at Lobby (2nd floor of the MSU Union) |
| 9:00a-10:00a | Restorying Trans Game Studies: Playing with Memory, Fiction, and Magic as Sites for Transformative Identity Work by Theresa "Tess" Tanenbaum (Keynote) at MSU Union Ballroom |
| 10:00a-10:15a | Break |
| 10:15a-11:15a | VR for Concept Design by Ricardo Guimaraes (Speaker) | Meaningful Analyses of Meaningful Games 1 (Papers) | University Programs (Microtalks) | Exploring Returns To Serious Games (Workshop) | Black Joy. Black Pain: Exploring Narratives of Survival in Gaming (Panel) | Two Hour Workshop: Adapting the FUNemployed game model for fun in learning - Part 1
(Workshop) |
| 11:15a-11:30a | Break |
| 11:30a-12:30p | From Academia to Commercial Spin-Off: The Trials and Tribulations of Bringing Plunder Panic to Market by Brian Winn (Speaker) | Meaningful Analyses of Meaningful Games 2 (Papers) | Language Games (Microtalks) | Recast & Replay: Critically Redesigning and Broadening Queer Experiences in Games Through the Lens of Less Visible Identities in the Community (Workshop) | Legitimizing Analog Games in Academia (Panel) | Two Hour Workshop: Adapting the FUNemployed game model for fun in learning - Part 2 (Workshop) |
| 12:30p-1:00p | Lunch at Lobby (2nd floor of the MSU Union) |
| 1:00p-2:00p | Bringing Superheros to Life by Geoff Johns (Keynote) at MSU Union Ballroom |
| 2:00p-2:30p | Conference Closing and Game Awards at MSU Union Ballroom |
Below are additional special events that occur across the Meaningful Play schedule.
