“To be on the wire is life; the rest is waiting.” Placed at the opening of his chapter “Where the Action Is” (1967), this epigraph encapsulates Erving Goffman’s interest in play, risk and uncertainty. From 12 to 14 March 2027, an international conference held in La Chaux-de-Fonds, at the heart of Ludesco, a festival of games and playful experiences, will examine what his work can still help us understand about contemporary games and gaming encounters.
Context
Known for his analyses of the presentation of self, social interactions, face-work and the frames of experience, Erving Goffman also gave considerable attention to play and gaming encounters. His work notably allows us to examine how an activity is recognized as play, the forms of involvement it generates, the roles and positions adopted by participants, and the adjustments required to maintain the situation. The conference will put these tools to the test across games in all their forms, as well as other contemporary playful experiences.
Objectives
The conference will bring together researchers and game professionals around four thematic axes:
- playframes and participation;
- involvement in play;
- the presentation of self and face-work;
- extensions and limitations of Erving Goffman’s approach.
It will welcome empirical research from sociology, anthropology, information and communication sciences, as well as play and game studies. The objective is to foster dialogue between Francophone and international research, while examining what situations of play can, in turn, contribute to the study of social interactions.
Organisation and originality
The conference’s main originality lies in its location at the heart of Ludesco, which will serve simultaneously as a conference venue, a fieldwork site and a space for presenting findings. In addition to the academic presentations, a participant-observation workshop will be offered to conference presenters and interested festivalgoers. An introduction to observational methods will take place on Friday, followed by observations in different areas of the festival. An initial collective discussion will be held on Saturday, before a public presentation of findings on Sunday. This format will make it possible to explore interactions around games, gaming cultures, gender relations, forms of mediation, and relations between audiences and professionals.
The conference is organised by the Haute école de gestion Arc, through the Institute of Communication and Experiential Marketing, with the support of the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland (HES-SO) and the Swiss National Science Foundation, and in collaboration with Ludesco.
Timeline
- Publication of the call for papers: 5 October 2026
- Submission deadline: 15 November 2026
- Notification to authors: late December 2026
- Publication of the programme: early January 2027
- Conference: Friday 12 to Sunday 14 March 2027
The call for papers is available in French and English.
- Appel à communications « Erving Goffman et le jeu » (FR)
- Call for Papers “Erving Goffman and play” (EN)
Contact
For any questions, please write to GoffmanAndPlay@he-arc.ch
