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Game Papers Frequently Asked Questions
General Submission Questions
How does the SIGGRAPH 2010 Game Papers program differ from last year’s program?
This year, the topic area is more rigidly defined, to clearly differentiate Game Papers from the other research papers programs. More emphasis is also placed on data and data analysis.
What types of papers should be submitted as Game Papers?
Submissions should be novel, high-quality research papers, with references, some form of data, and some form of data analysis and reporting. If the result, outcome, or focus of your paper is on the game’s design or the player’s experience, or on game design processes and procedures (such as redefining production roles or teams, or use of play-centric design, or a reformulization of play testing), then your paper belongs in this program.
How do I decide whether to submit my work as a paper, a talk, or a poster?
The SIGGRAPH papers (Technical Papers, Art Papers, and Game Papers) are the most competitive of these three. The papers programs provide an opportunity to submit new information and publish in a citable archive. Talks and Posters provide an opportunity to disseminate ideas and get feedback from colleagues, but do not represent a citable research paper.
I’m still not sure whether to submit my work to Games Papers or some other SIGGRAPH 2010 program.
Please see these general Frequently Asked Questions for more details on how the various SIGGRAPH 2010 programs differ. A specific example may also help: let's say you have worked on a game that has a unique stylistic rendering approach. If you just want to show the end result, you could submit the game to Live Real-Time Demos or the Computer Animation Festival. If you want to describe your methods to the graphics community, but not write for a formal research publication, you could submit a Talk or Poster on your work, or perhaps it could be part of a Course on stylized rendering. Alternatively, you could get together with some game developers who have taken different approaches to stylized rendering, find a moderator, and submit a Panel proposal discussing the pros and cons of your various approaches. If your desire is to write a formal paper for publication in a citable, journal-quality research archive, then you should submit to one of the SIGGRAPH research papers programs (Technical Papers, Art Papers, or Game Papers). But which one? If the primary focus of your paper is the novel graphics algorithms used to accomplish the goal, then you should submit your work to the Technical Papers program. If the primary focus is on the social and cultural implications of the art style, then you should submit an Art Paper. If the primary focus of your paper is on how the visual style affected choices in game play (for example, the overall mood of the game or the way your character moved about) or the game design process (for example, choices in game goals, game mechanics, or level design), then your paper should be submitted as a Game Paper.
What characterizes a good SIGGRAPH Game Paper?
Game Papers represent novel, useful ideas rigorously explored via data analysis and reporting, with references to previous relevant work. Data can come in many forms and from many sources. Common examples include questionnaires or surveys, focus group notes, observation notes, research study data, case studies, and click-stream tracking and log files. Analyses can be as basic as descriptive information (for example, how many players did or didn’t do something) or more robust, such as regression analyses, repeated measures, or structural equation modeling. Reporting involves both interpreting the data (making sense of, or assigning meaning to, the data collected) and explaining that meaning and justifying any claims you’re making. One of the key components of a good paper is not making claims that are unsupported by your data (that is, inflating what the data mean or making claims for which you don’t have sufficient evidence).
Can I submit after the deadline?
No. The deadline is absolute. There are no exceptions, so complete your submission early.
I used the SIGGRAPH 2010 English Review Service, and they didn't get back to me soon enough. So, it's SIGGRAPH's fault that my paper isn't ready.
The deadline is absolute. The English Review Service makes no guarantees about turnaround time, and it's up to you to make contingency plans. Follow the submission system’s recommendation to give a minimum of two weeks for use of the English Review Service; the more time you provide, the better your chance of not being late.
I sent my documents on time but the (pick one: mail, online system, Fedex, etc.) caused my documents to not be received on time. Will you accept them?
No. The deadline is absolute. There are no exceptions, so complete your submission early.
Can I modify my submission materials after the deadline, but before acceptance?
No.
Can I modify my submission materials after my paper has been accepted?
Possibly. The acceptance process includes a period where the Game Papers review committee may require changes to your paper. It is only during that time that you may make changes, but only to the paper. Not to other submission materials. In addition, changes to the paper that were NOT requested might not be accepted. Be sure to inform the committee of those changes, so they may review and decide whether to accept.
I would like to submit my paper to other conferences or journals in addition to SIGGRAPH 2010.
You can only submit to one conference and/or journal at a time. And if accepted by one, you cannot submit to others. If you submit your paper to another conference or journal simultaneously, we will reject your paper without review. If your paper was previously presented or published, we will reject it without review. This does not mean, however, that you cannot talk about or publish the same topic more than once. You can. You need to be sure, though, that each talk or publication is substantively different, such as new data analyses, new case studies, new findings, improved practices or procedures, focusing on a different subset of your work or findings, etc. If you are submitting to multiple conferences and/or journals, be sure to include that comment in your submission, along with how the two submissions differ.
A month after submitting our paper, we obtained much better results. Can we withdraw our paper from review and submit it elsewhere (or wait until next year)?
You can withdraw your submission at any time. If your paper is provisionally accepted, you will be able to add your new results, subject to approval by the reviewers.
My submission is a revision of a paper that I submitted to an earlier SIGGRAPH conference. Will the reviewers get to see the earlier reviews?
No. Previous reviews will not be available to current reviewers.
Do I have to prepare the paper in the final format?
Yes, you MUST format your paper according to the SIGGRAPH Papers formatting guidelines. Seeing a paper in final format lets us verify the page count and allows us to compare it to other papers.
What types of keywords should I include with my paper?
Select one primary topic area and one or more secondary topic areas from the list of keywords in the online submission form. Include those keywords under the abstract in your paper, along with any others that you feel are appropriate.
Does my submission have to be anonymous?
Yes. If your paper, abstract, or 50-word summary includes any indication of you or your fellow contributors’ names or affiliations, your paper will not be reviewed. Remove any information from the paper's supplemental materials that identifies you or any of the other authors, or any of your institutions or places of work. In particular, replace the authors' names with the submission ID (for example, papers_0000) in your submitted paper. You may upload information that reveals your identity as "non-anonymous supplemental materials".
How do I include a reference to myself without identifying myself?
Refer to yourself as the author or authors.
Review Process
Is there a quota for the number or percentage of papers accepted?
No. There is no quota for the number of papers that should be or will be accepted; acceptance is based on merit, not on a quota.
Is there a rebuttal process for Game Papers?
No, there is not. Decisions by the reviewers are final.
Papers and Presentations
Where can I get the ACM Copyright Form on the web? I need to show it to my employers before I submit.
Here is the ACM Copyright Form (PDF). This form is different from the Technical Papers Copyright form, so be sure you use the correct one.
To whom should I send questions about the submission and review process?
Use the Game Papers Contact Form. Questions sent directly to the Game Papers Chair will not receive a response.
