Ten Years of CHI PLAY: A Panel on the Past, Present, and Future of the Conference

The CHI PLAY conference, established in 2014, serves as a premier venue for high-quality research on games and play within the SIGCHI community. The conference was founded to address the need for a dedicated, inclusive, and interdisciplinary space for games researchers, following decades of fragmented game-related contributions across various HCI venues. The primary objective of the conference is to foster a vibrant community through structured networking, mentorship, and rigorous academic publication, while maintaining a playful and welcoming atmosphere.

Over the past decade, the conference has evolved significantly in both its operational structure and its academic reach. A major milestone occurred in 2021 when the conference transitioned its full publications to the PACMHCI journal as the GAMES track, a move designed to improve research quality, address systemic biases, and increase the visibility of game scholarship. The community has demonstrated consistent growth, evidenced by the 208 full paper submissions received in 2024. Furthermore, the conference has successfully adapted to global challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, by pioneering virtual and hybrid formats that have since been adopted by other SIGCHI events.

The conference continues to prioritize diverse participation through tracks such as student game design competitions, doctoral consortia, and the Perspectives on Play track. By reflecting on its history and current trajectory, the leadership aims to ensure that the conference remains a central hub for interactive games research. The ongoing evolution of the event reflects a commitment to balancing academic rigor with the community-building values that have defined the organization since its inception.