Video Games in the Philosophical Classroom

The American Association of Philosophy Teachers (AAPT) and the APA Committee on the Teaching of Philosophy (CTP) seek presenters for a session on “Video Games in the Philosophy Classroom” at the AAPT-APA Teaching Hub at the 2025 APA Eastern Division meeting, January 8–11, in New York, New York. The AAPT-APA Teaching Hub is a collaborative meeting space hosting a series of interactive workshops and conversations designed specifically for philosophers and created to celebrate teaching within the context of the APA divisional meetings. The Teaching Hub aims to offer a range of high quality and inclusive development opportunities that address the teaching of philosophy at all levels.

SESSION GOALS:

Video games—broadly construed to include gamified console, PC, mobile, and VR experiences—are not traditionally recognized as a staple of the philosophy classroom. In recent years, however, the philosophical richness of video games has piqued significant interest, ranging from Jordan Erica Webber and Daniel Griliopoulos’s Ten Things Video Games Can Teach Us About Life, Philosophy, and Everythingto C. Thi Nguyen’s Games: Agency as Art. As gaming continues to change in response to technological and societal developments, instructors of philosophy are in a uniquely promising position to develop conceptual and practical tools for integrating games into the classroom, and also to analyze any potential pitfalls or damages such integrations might generate.

This Teaching Hub session is intended to open a space for the experimentation, exploration, and exchange of ideas about the potential of virtual games in a pedagogical space. We hope to invite three to four presenters interested or experienced in developing video game-based curricula or assignments for the philosophy classroom.

We welcome proposals on any topic related to this theme, including (but not limited to) the following:

• What strategies are available for leveraging video games and virtual experiences in guided philosophical exploration?
• What are the benefits and pitfalls of introducing gamification models into the classroom?
• How is philosophical education changed by engagement with aesthetic models traditionally relegated to the outskirts of academic respectability?
• Which critical lenses are worth bringing to bear on the use of technology in general (and video games in particular) in the classroom, such that we increase our awareness of the ways in which gamification and technologization of the classroom can alienate students and work against meaningful pedagogical goals?
• Which specific topics, approaches, and—of course!—games are particularly promising for  opening up new avenues of discourse and exploration in the philosophy classroom?

FORMAT: Rather than a traditional paper presentation, Teaching Hub sessions are expected to be highly interactive. Proposals should indicate how audience members will participate in the session. The primary goal for the Teaching Hub is for attendees to walk away with something concrete to deploy in their own classrooms/teaching context.

What does the Teaching Hub mean by “highly interactive”? This includes (but is not limited to) the following:

• Presenters focusing less time on arguments for teaching some content or teaching a particular way, and more time on what it would actually look like to teach that content or teach in that way.
• Presenters thinking of the audience as their students and themselves as the facilitator/teacher. How could you cover the same content in a way that your audience participates in active learning activities during the session time?
• Presenters offering clear, practical examples of teaching methods, classroom activities, policies, practices, etc.

DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: August 1, 2024

SUBMISSIONS:

• Proposals should be sent to Rebeccah Leiby ([email protected]) and/or Jordan Kokot ([email protected]) by August 1, with the subject line “Teaching While Contingent Faculty: AAPT-APA TH 2025.” 
• In the body of the email, please include your name, institutional affiliation (if any), position (if any), and email contact information.
• Attached to the email, please include anonymized submission of 500–750 words (.doc, .docx, or .pdf) detailing the following: (1) describe the focus of your session, (2) an overview of how you plan to use your session time, including details on how you will make the session highly interactive, (3) what you hope the audience will take away from your session, and (4) if you have a strong preference for how much time you’d like. Depending on the number of acceptances and other factors, presentations typically range from 25 to 50 minutes. (Feel free not to mention this if you’re happy to tailor your timing to the session overall.)
• We aim to ensure representation of a range of voices and expect to select presenters by August 21. 

Questions about this session should be directed to Rebeccah Leiby and/or Jordan Kokot at the above email addresses. For general information about the AAPT-APA Teaching Hub, please visit the Teaching Hub page. For specific information about the Teaching Hub at the 2025 Eastern APA meeting in New York, please contact co-chairs Savannah Pearlman ([email protected]) and Chris Blake-Turner ([email protected]).