Aims & Scope

Entertainment Computing publishes original, peer-reviewed research articles and serves as a forum for stimulating and disseminating innovative research ideas, emerging technologies, empirical investigations, state-of-the-art methods and tools in all aspects of digital entertainment, new media, entertainment computing, gaming, robotics, toys and applications among researchers, engineers, social scientists, artists and practitioners. Theoretical, technical, empirical, survey articles and case studies are all appropriate to the journal.

Specific areas of interest include:

    Computer, video, console and internet games
    Cultural computing and cultural issues in entertainment
    Digital new media for entertainment
    Entertainment robots and robot like applications
    Entertainment technology, applications, application program interfaces, and entertainment system architectures
    Human factors of entertainment technology
    Impact of entertainment technology on users and society
    Integration of interaction and multimedia capabilities in entertainment systems
    Interactive television and broadcasting
    Interactive art and entertainment
    Methodologies, paradigms, tools, and software/hardware architectures for supporting entertainment applications
    Mixed, augmented and virtual reality systems for entertainment
    New genres of entertainment technology
    Serious Games used in education, training, and research
    Simulation/gaming methodologies used in education, training, and research
    Social media for entertainment

In the area of empirical and experimental studies we are looking for contributions which are very well documented, innovative, and tested or evaluated in a particular entertainment domain.

Software publication
We invite you to convert your open source software into an additional journal publication in Software Impacts, a multi-disciplinary open access journal. Software Impacts provides a scholarly reference to software that has been used to address a research challenge. The journal disseminates impactful and re-usable scientific software through Original Software Publications which describe the application of the software to research and the published outputs.

For more information contact us at: software.impacts@elsevier.com

Special Issue on Journal Track of the IFIP International Conference on Entertainment Computing – ICEC 2026
Submission Date: 2026-01-25

IFIP-ICEC is the longest lasting and prime scientific conference series in the area of Entertainment Computing. It brings together practitioners, researchers, artists, designers, and industry on the design, creation, development, use, application and evaluation of digital entertainment content and experience systems. This event covers a diverse array of related research issues, including interactive art, game-based learning, XR technologies and ethical considerations associated with entertainment.

IFIP TC14 aims to encourage research, development and sharing of innovative ideas, models and practices, on computer applications in entertainment. To enhance computation and use studies in this field, the technical program committee invites original submissions.

Topics can include but are not limited to:

1. Design and Analysis

    Game Design: Theory, Creation & Testing
    Interactive Narratives & Digital Storytelling
    Entertainment Robots, Toys & Smart Gadgets
    Social Media / Social Computing Entertainment
    New Genres of Interactive & Digital Entertainment

2. Digital Art & Installations

    Controllers for Musical Expression
    Music Collaboration Tools
    Public Interactive Art Installations
    Interactive Art, Performance and Novel Interactions

3. XR Entertainment

    Virtual/Augmented/Mixed Reality & Games
    Ubiquitous/Pervasive Entertainment
    TransMedia Storytelling
    XR Entertainment

4. Serious Games

    Games for Learning, Health & Well-Being
    Games For Change & Social Impact Games
    Exergaming
    Advergames and Digital Marketing

5. Inclusivity of Gaming and Interactive Entertainment

    Game Accessibility Hardware
    Guidelines for Inclusive Design
    Special Needs Considerations
    Theoretical Foundations and Ethical Issues

6. Experiential Aspects in Entertainment

    Emotions and Affective Interaction
    Theoretical Basis of Entertainment
    Social / Cultural Impacts of Digital Entertainment
    Entertainment for Purpose & Persuasion

7. Computational Methodologies for Entertainment

    Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning for Entertainment
    Procedural Content Generation
    Computer Graphics & Visual Effects
    Big Data in Entertainment
    Security & Privacy in Entertainment
    Algorithmic research on board and card games
    New types of entertainment using information technologies
    Hardware technology research and development to implement entertainment systems
    Non-traditional human interface technologies for entertainment

Guest editors:

Dr. Esteban Walter Gonzalez Clua
Affiliation: Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niteroi, Brazil
Areas of expertise: 3D rendering, game engine architectures, XR games
Dr. Ryosuke Yamanishi
Affiliation: Kansai University, Osaka, Japan
Areas of expertise: Interaction design, Music informatics, Data science

Manuscript submission information:

    Guest Editor Invitation Only
    Open for Submission: from 20-Dec-2025 to 25-Jan-2026
    Submission Site: Editorial Manager®
    Article Type Name: "VSI: ENTCOM_ICEC 2026 Journal Track papers" - please select this item when you submit manuscripts online

All manuscripts will be peer-reviewed. Submissions will be evaluated based on originality, significance, technical quality, and clarity. Once accepted, articles will be posted online immediately and published in a journal regular issue within weeks. Articles will also be simultaneously collected in the online special issue.

For any inquiries about the appropriateness of contribution topics, welcome to contact Leading Guest Editor Prof. Esteban Walter Gonzalez Clua.

Guide for Authors will be helpful for your future contributions, read more: Guide for authors - Entertainment Computing - ISSN 1875-9521 | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier

For more information about our Journal, please visit our ScienceDirect Page: Entertainment Computing | Journal | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier

Keywords:

    Digital Entertainment; 
    Games; 
    Digital Art; 
    Serious Games; 
    AI for Entertainment; 
    Interactive Art

Special Issue on Digital Worlds, Real Impact - The Evolving Role of Games in Society
Submission Date: 2026-02-28

As digital games become more deeply integrated into everyday life, their cultural, societal, and political significance continues to evolve. Recent shifts in the game industry—including AI-generated content and the rise of platform monopolies—are reshaping how games are designed, distributed, and played. At the same time, societal debates surrounding digital cultures, inclusivity, and the ethics of play highlight the need for critical engagement with games as a force beyond entertainment. Games can act as vehicles for activism, education, and public engagement, while also raising concerns around addiction, monetization, and surveillance. As playful technologies blur into domains such as health, politics, and work, understanding the effects and broader impacts of games becomes more crucial than ever. 

This special issue seeks to capture and critically examine these dynamics by inviting contributions that explore how digital games both reflect and shape contemporary societies. We aim to bring together diverse perspectives that interrogate games not only as entertainment, but also as cultural artifacts, social practices, and political agents with real-world consequences. We invite researchers, academics, and experts from diverse disciplines (e.g., Media and Communication, Computer Science, Media Psychology, Education, Sociology etc.) to submit their theoretical or empirical contributions related to the evolving role of digital games in society.
 
Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

    Games as tools for education and game-based learning
    E-sports and competitive gaming
    Exploring the positive and negative effects of games on mental health and well-being
    Unveiling the profound meaning of games as a form of eudaimonic entertainment
    Investigating the social and psychological benefits and challenges arising from online gaming
    Examining toxicity and extremism within gaming cultures and their impact on society and individuals
    Understanding the power of games for information dissemination and persuasion
    The cultural and political impact of games
    Possible negative effects of gaming on individuals (e.g., aggressiveness, addiction, social isolation)
    Platformization in the game industry
    Emerging technologies in game design
    The role of games in shaping public discourse
    Diversity and inclusion in game design and game communities
    Environmental sustainability and ecological impact of game production and consumption
    Games as art and cultural heritage, and their representation of cultural legacies
    Unpacking the applications of games in museums and exhibitions

Guest editors:
Dr. Felix Reer
University of Münster, Munster, Germany
Dr. Teresa de la Hera
Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Dr. Salvador Gómez-García
Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

Manuscript submission information:

    Open for Submission: from 16-Oct-2025 to 28-Feb-2026
    Submission Site: Editorial Manager®
    Article Type Name: "VSI: ENTCOM_Digital Worlds Real Impact" - please select this item when you submit manuscripts online

All manuscripts will be peer-reviewed. Submissions will be evaluated based on originality, significance, technical quality, and clarity. Once accepted, articles will be posted online immediately and published in a journal regular issue within weeks. Articles will also be simultaneously collected in the online special issue.
For any inquiries about the appropriateness of contribution topics, welcome to contact Leading Guest Editor (Dr. Felix Reer).
Guide for Authors will be helpful for your future contributions, read more: Guide for authors - Entertainment Computing - ISSN 1875-9521 | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier
For more information about our Journal, please visit our ScienceDirect Page: Entertainment Computing | Journal | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier

Keywords:

    Digital Games; 
    Serious Games; 
    Media Effects; 
    Eudaimonia; 
    Platformization; 
    Game Studies; 
    Well-Being; 
    Persuasion; 
    E-Sports; 
    Toxicity

Special Issue on The 24th Brazilian Symposium on Games and Digital Entertainment
Submission Date: 2026-04-06

This special issue of the Entertainment Computing journal celebrates some of the most impactful contributions from the 24th Brazilian Symposium on Games and Digital Entertainment (SBGames 2025), held from September 30 to October 3 in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Recognized as the largest symposium in South America dedicated to digital games and entertainment, SBGames attracts researchers and practitioners from around the world. The event is organized annually by the Special Interest Group on Games and Digital Entertainment (CEJOGOS) of the Brazilian Computer Society (SBC) and showcases innovative research across a wide range of disciplines. The symposium is now in its 24th edition and continues to grow and evolve.

Topics of Interest include (but are not limited to):

    Computer Games
    AI for Games
    Game Development
    Game Design
    Game Graphics
    Algorithmic Game Theory
    Immersive Games
    Serious Games
    Game Technology
    Game Art
    Game Culture
    Game-based Learning
    Gamification
    Game Industry
    Human–Computer Interaction

Special Issue Scope:

This special issue of the Entertainment Computing journal features three papers selected during SBGames 2025 for their excellence and relevance. These papers are expanded, peer-reviewed, and published to reflect the symposium’s technical and scientific highlights. The issue represents the interdisciplinary nature of SBGames, which includes tracks in Computing, Arts & Design, Culture, Industry, Education, and Health, as well as parallel events like the Games Festival.

Guest editors:
Dr. Luiz José Schirmer Silva
Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Brazil
Dr. André Brandão
Universidade Federal do ABC, Santo Andre, Brazil

Manuscript submission information:

    Guest Editor Invitation Only
    Open for Submission: from 12-Dec-2025 to 06-Apr-2026
    Submission Site: Editorial Manager®
    Article Type Name: "VSI: ENTCOM_SBGames 2025" - please select this item when you submit manuscripts online

All manuscripts will be peer-reviewed. Submissions will be evaluated based on originality, significance, technical quality, and clarity. Once accepted, articles will be posted online immediately and published in a journal regular issue within weeks. Articles will also be simultaneously collected in the online special issue.
For any inquiries about the appropriateness of contribution topics, welcome to contact Leading Guest Editor (Dr. Luiz José Schirmer Silva).
Guide for Authors will be helpful for your future contributions, read more: Guide for authors - Entertainment Computing - ISSN 1875-9521 | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier
For more information about our Journal, please visit our ScienceDirect Page: Entertainment Computing | Journal | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier

Keywords:

    Computer Games; 
    AI for Games; 
    Game Development; 
    Game Design

Special Issue on Multimodal Perception and Interaction Technologies in Entertainment Computing
Submission Date: 2026-06-30

This Special Issue covers theoretical foundations, system architectures, algorithms, interaction techniques, and empirical evaluations related to multimodal perception and intelligent interaction in entertainment systems. Submissions must explicitly target entertainment products or services and include system implementation details together with experimental validation in entertainment environments.

The scope includes, but is not limited to, the design and development of multimodal entertainment systems that integrate vision, audio, gesture, motion, physiological, affective, and contextual signals; intelligent interaction mechanisms that adapt content, characters, or narratives in response to user behavior and emotional states; and generative AI techniques for creating dynamic and personalized entertainment content.

The Special Issue particularly welcomes work addressing next-generation entertainment ecosystems such as immersive XR platforms, virtual and mixed-reality performances, interactive narratives, AI-driven characters, and metaverse-style social entertainment. Contributions may come from computer science, human–computer interaction, artificial intelligence, media studies, and related interdisciplinary fields, provided that the research demonstrates clear relevance, implementation, and evaluation within entertainment contexts.

Guest editors:
Dr. Mudasir Mohd
Affiliation: University of Kashmir, Garhwal, India
Dr. Sheikh Nasrullah
Affiliation: IBM Research - Almaden, California, USA
Dr. Imran Parray
Affiliation: SHMM Government Degree College Anantnag, Jammu & Kashmir, India

Manuscript submission information:

    Open for Submission: from 01-Jan-2026 to 30-Jun-2026
    Submission Site: Editorial Manager®
    Article Type Name: "VSI: ENTCOM_Multimodal Perception" - please select this item when you submit manuscripts online

All manuscripts will be peer-reviewed. Submissions will be evaluated based on originality, significance, technical quality, and clarity. Once accepted, articles will be posted online immediately and published in a journal regular issue within weeks. Articles will also be simultaneously collected in the online special issue.
For any inquiries about the appropriateness of contribution topics, welcome to contact Leading Guest Editor Dr. Mudasir Mohd.
Guide for Authors will be helpful for your future contributions, read more: Guide for authors - Entertainment Computing - ISSN 1875-9521 | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier
For more information about our Journal, please visit our ScienceDirect Page: Entertainment Computing | Journal | ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier

Keywords:

    Multimodal Perception
    Intelligent Interaction
    Entertainment Computing
    XR and Immersive Systems
    Affective and Adaptive Entertainment