Educational Science track

• Educational effectiveness of Serious Games (SGs)
• Methodologies of studying educational effectiveness of SGs
• Educational theories and their application in the field of serious games
• Pedagogical approaches and teachers role in SGs
• SGs in learning assessment and as an educational research tools
• Learning by making games
• SGs enhancing literacy, numeracy, and higher-order thinking
• SGs for business applications (innovation, cultural change, strategic decision making)
• Use of AI in SGs for competency building

AI & Serious Games Track

• AI-driven game design and generative content creation (narrative, dialogue, characters, scenarios, procedural generation)
• AI-driven Adaptive and personalised learning systems
• Explainable AI for learner feedback
• Learning analytics and predictive modelling
• AI-enhanced gameplay and interaction (AI-driven NPCs, conversational agents, large language models as tutors, autonomous simulation agents)
• Serious games for AI literacy and AI competence development
• Ethics, governance, fairness, and responsible AI in serious games

Cognitive Science track

• Theoretical and empirical investigations of cognitive and learning mechanisms in SGs
• Application of cognitive theories to evidence-based serious game design
• Motivation, engagement, flow, and cognitive affective dynamics
• Individual differences and learner variability in SG contexts
• Serious games as experimental platforms for cognitive research
• Assessment and modelling of cognitive processes within SGs (stealth assessment)
• SGs for neurodivergent and clinical populations
• Neuroscientific and neurocognitive approaches in SG research

Technology track

• Human-computer interaction for SGs (hardware, software)
• Extended reality (XR): augmented reality, mixed reality, virtual reality
• Modelling and simulation
• Learner performance modelling, assessment and feedback
• Learning analytics
• Adaptivity and personalisation in SGs
• Artificial intelligence, machine learning, and Big data for SGs
• Tools and applications for neuro-scientific game research
• Computing architectures for SGs
• Immersive and multimedia experiences
• Computer graphics and visual effects
• Emotions and affective interaction
• Interactive narrative and digital storytelling
• Smart toys for learning
• Efficient development tools
• Support for development of gamified solutions
• Security and privacy in SGs

Game Design track

• Design and implementation of SGs mechanics (score, rewards, achievements)
• Mapping educational goals, outcomes and principles into serious game mechanics
• Research methods for SGs and playing experience evaluation
• Inclusive design and accessibility issues
• Emotional design in serious games
• Evidence-based development of serious games
• Ubiquitous/pervasive gaming
• Balancing in games (realism, engagement, learning, entertainment)
• Collaboration and cooperation aspects
• Design for behavioural Change
• AI-supported game design and ideation

Application track

• Case studies on developing/deploying SGs and gamified systems
• User studies applying SGs in training (professional, corporate, workforce programs)
• User studies studying effectiveness of the games
• Understanding how, when, with whom, for what to use SGs
• Human factors and boundary conditions for using SGs
• Evaluation of impact, longitudinal studies
• Assessing personal abilities through SGs
• Usability studies
• Serious games for behavioural change
• Serious games to support small/family businesses
• Serious games for rural/remote areas and cultural/natural heritage

Industrial track

• Distribution models
• Game analytics
• Serious games studies
• Models for serious games
• Monetization models & strategies
• Pervasive and mobile gaming
• Gamification
• Products supporting serious games development and deployment

Media and cultural studies track

• Analysis of SGs and play
• Analogue games and game design
• Interactive narrative and digital storytelling
• Cultural context of SGs and play
• Ecogames
• Theory and philosophy of SGs and play
• (Media) literacy games and ludoliteracy
• Political economy of SGs and play
• Representation in SGs and play
• Game design and playful pedagogy
• Histories of SGs and play

Papers have to be submitted through the Easychair system. Requirements are as follows:

• The maximum length of a submitted paper is 15 pages INCLUDING references (and appendixes; if applicable).
• Submitted papers need to be anonymized by the authors by removing any identifying author and institution information from the submission.
• Authors should consult Springer’s authors’ instructions and use their Springer Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS) proceedings templates, either for LaTeX, Word, or Overleaf, for the preparation of their papers. Springer encourages authors to include their ORCIDs in their papers, though this is optional.
• Papers not meeting these requirements will be desk rejected.

The reviewing process used by GALA is double-anonymized, meaning that the paper authors do not know the identities of the reviewers, and the reviewers do not know the identities of the authors. Papers will receive three (3) reviews, upon which the track chair can make the decision to accept or reject the full paper.

The main track of GALA Conf is reserved for fully developed research papers. Submissions will undergo a binary decision process: papers will be either fully accepted for publication (expecting authors to process reviewer feedback where reasonable for the camera-ready copy), or rejected. The option of acceptance as a short paper is no longer available.

We recommend authors of research that is not yet fully developed, to submit their work to Work in Progress Track or PhD Symposium. Proceedings for these tracks will also be published on Springer Communications in Computer and Information Science (CCIS), indexed by Scopus.

All accepted papers will be included in the conference proceedings published on Springer Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS) . A dedicated special issue with an upgraded version of the best papers of the conference will be published in The International Journal of Serious Games. The corresponding author of an accepted paper, acting on behalf of all of the authors of that paper, must complete and sign a Consent-to-Publish form.

At least one author of each accepted paper is required to register for the conference (regular or student rate).

• Serious games and game-based learning (early-stage studies)
• Gamification concepts, frameworks, and prototypes
• Educational game design ideas and tools under development
• Learning analytics and learner/player modeling (preliminary results)
• AI and Generative AI for games and learning (concepts and pilots)
• Adaptive and personalized learning systems (work in progress)
• XR (AR/VR/MR) learning environments and prototypes
• Simulation-based learning and digital twins (initial designs)
• Early evaluation results and pilot studies
• Ethical, inclusive, and accessible game-based learning approaches
• Games for sustainability, health, civic engagement, and social impact
• Industry-oriented training games (proofs of concept)

• Paper length: 9 pages maximum, including references
• Submitted papers need to be anonymized by the authors by removing any identifying author and institution information from the submission.
• Format: Springer LNCS format (same as in the Main Paper Track)
• Submission type: Work in Progress paper
• Proceedings for this track will be published on Springer Communications in Computer and Information Science (CCIS), indexed by Scopus.

Papers not meeting these requirements will be desk rejected.

Submissions should describe ongoing research, preliminary results, novel ideas, prototypes, or conceptual frameworks, clearly outlining:

• the motivation and context of the work,
• what has been achieved so far,
• what remains to be done,
• which aspects would most benefit from feedback and discussion.

Types of Contributions

• Research-oriented papers: where there is a theoretical background, a description of the work and a clear focus on discussing preliminary results.
• Practice-oriented papers: where there is a transparent description of the application/practice/prototype/use-case to demonstrate its relevance, preliminary results and outcomes achieved, future agenda and/or next steps.
• Vision/position papers: where there is a clear theoretical background and relevant ideas and discussion that advance the state-of-the-art in the area.

At least one author of each accepted paper is required to register for the conference (regular or student rate).

• Serious games and game-based learning
• Gamification and motivational design
• Educational game design methods and tools
• Learning analytics and player/learner modeling
• Artificial Intelligence and Generative AI for games and learning
• Adaptive and personalized learning systems
• XR (AR/VR/MR) and immersive learning environments
• Simulation-based learning and digital twins
• Evaluation methods for games and learning experiences
• Ethics, accessibility, and inclusiveness in game-based learning
• Games for learning and training

• Paper length: maximum 9 pages, including references.
• Format: Springer LNCS format (same as the main GALA conference).
• Submission type: PhD research paper.
• Submissions should clearly describe the PhD research project, its current status, and planned future work.
• Papers are expected to emphasize research questions, methodology, and reflection, rather than polished final results.
• Proceedings for this track will be published on Springer Communications in Computer and Information Science (CCIS), indexed by Scopus.

Papers not meeting these requirements will be desk rejected.

Mandatory Paper Structure

All submissions must follow the structure below, which is designed to support a common basis for mentoring, review, and discussion during the PhD Symposium:

1. Introduction and Research Context
2. Research Problem and Objectives
3. State of the Art and Positioning
4. Research Methodology
5. Current Status of the PhD Project
6. Planned Work and Research Roadmap
7. Open Challenges and Discussion Points
8. Expected Impact and Career Perspective

At least one author of each accepted paper is required to register for the conference (regular or student rate).

Academy

Serious Games that have been designed and produced in a scientific environment. If you have an experimental study related to your game, we highly recommend you also consider submitting your work to the GALA 2026 Call for Papers .

Business

Serious Games that have been designed and produced by a professional game studio.

Student

Serious Games that have been designed and produced by students (master’s degree or lower).

Platform

Games must be submitted via the Easychair system.

Format

Submit a playable/executable version, a demo video, and a short game description.

Instructions

All submissions must include a README file with installation and playing instructions.

Large Files

For large files, please compress the folder using .zip format only.

Eligibility Note

Previously submitted games are not eligible for repeat entry unless there has been a substantial update.

Who can I contact for more help?

Please feel free to contact our competition committee with any further questions:

• ▸
  Kristina Risley, University of Southampton: K.Risley@soton.ac.uk
• ▸
  Mariana Rocha, Technological University Dublin: mariana.rocha@tudublin.ie