Games-Based Learning Virtual Conference
www.gblconference.com

June 5-7, 2026

Proposals Due in:

    What is the Games-Based Learning Virtual Conference?
    The Games-Based Learning Virtual Conference (GBLVC) is an annual three day virtual event hosted by the Games-Based Learning Alliance (GBLA) and University XP.

    Why present at GBLVC?
    Reach 100+ global educators, trainers, and designers. Share your expertise in our post-conference archive and connect with leaders shaping the future of games-based learning.

    Conference History
    Since its debut in 2021, the Games-Based Learning Virtual Conference has run annually with sessions from leading academics and industry experts. Recent topics have included immersive teaching approaches, higher-order thinking through design, interdisciplinary games for literacy, and tools supporting inclusive, low-resource learning.

    Conference Purpose
    The purpose of the GBLVC is to connect academics, educators, designers, researchers, creators, and professionals in a space and time to share best practices using games, gamification, games-based learning, serious games, and applied games for teaching, training, education, and development.

    Conference Dates
    The conference takes place during the weekend over 3 days:
    Friday June 5, 2026 - Sunday June 7, 2026

    Conference Information
    2026 conference information is available at: http://www.gblconference.com/

    Where will the Games-Based Learning Virtual Conference be held?
    The conference is held online, and completely virtually, using a combination of different digital tools to connect attendees, host networking, and provide and serve conference content.

    Diversity Statement
    The GBLVC believes in spreading the knowledge of innovators. We believe that innovation is enhanced by a variety of perspectives, and our goal is to create an inclusive, respectful conference environment that invites participation from people of all races, ethnicities, genders, ages, abilities, religions, geographies, nationalities, sexual orientation, and neurodiversity. The conference actively seeks to increase the diversity of our attendees, speakers, and participants through our call for proposals, our open submission processes, and through dialogue with the larger community. The conference requests that you forward the call for proposals to relevant affinity groups with the message that we are looking for a diverse speaker roster.

    Preferred Presentation Topics
    Proposals that address and include actionable takeaways for the following topics will be given additional priority for consideration:

    • Discussions on game design principles, frameworks, and actionable takeaways

    • Use of artificial intelligence in educational game design

    • Design of therapeutic games (e.g., addressing Alzheimer’s, or addiction)

    • Developing rapid / low-cost educational games

    • Measuring learning outcomes in games

    • Games for social impact (i.e. prison education, entrepreneurship, agriculture)

    How Proposals Are Reviewed
    All proposals are reviewed by the Games-Based Learning Alliance. Submissions are evaluated on:

    • Relevance: How well the session fits the goals of the conference and games-based learning field.

    • Innovation: Originality of ideas, methods, or applications.

    • Applicability: Clear, actionable takeaways attendees can use in their own work.

    • Diversity of Perspective: Contribution to a broad range of voices, contexts, and experiences.

    • Clarity: Well-structured proposal with a clear title, summary, and takeaways.

    Conference Proposal Types

    Recorded Sessions: These sessions involve a lecture-style presentation, where information is shared through a pre-recorded video. If accepted, the lead presenter is responsible for recording the session and submitting it to the conference for editing, transcription, and uploading to the conference platform. The deadline for this submission will be approximately 2 months prior to the start of the conference. The final presentation should be between 20-30 minutes.

    Live Sessions:
    These sessions involve live discussions, demonstrations, or presentations where presenters interact with participants during the session. If accepted, presenters will be scheduled for a live, synchronous session on a specific date and time during the conference. The final presentation should be between 35-45 minutes long.

    • Both Recorded Sessions and Live Sessions are capped at no more than 4 presenters.

    • All recorded and live sessions will include captions and transcripts to ensure accessibility for all attendees.

    Accepted Presenter Complimentary Admission
    All accepted sessions come with complimentary conference access for all included presenters of the session.

    Examples of Past Sessions

    Proposal Timeline

    • 1) Call for Proposals Open: Monday, September 22, 2025

    • 2) Proposals Due: Sunday, December 7, 2025 by 11:59pm (ET)

    • 3) Proposal Notifications Sent by: Monday, January 19, 2026

    • 4) Proposal Acceptances Due by: Thursday, January 29, 2026 by 11:59 pm (ET)

    • 5) Recorded Sessions Submissions Due by: Thursday, March 12, 2026 by 11:59pm (ET)

    Content Disclaimer
    By submitting your session proposal, you’re also giving University XP LLC (DBA The Games-Based Learning Virtual Conference) permission to share your presentation materials (such as handouts, video or audio recordings, chat transcripts, questions, and slide decks) so that your ideas can reach a wider audience. This license is royalty-free and ensures that your contributions continue to inspire and educate beyond the live event. You’ll always be credited as the creator, and you retain full copyright ownership of your session. This means you are free to reuse, repurpose, or share your session however you wish, including with others outside the conference.    Presenters are welcome to submit more than one distinct proposal using separate applications. To ensure a rich variety of perspectives, the Games-Based Learning Alliance and University XP LLC may limit the number of accepted sessions from the same individual so that the conference showcases a diversity of voices, speakers, and experiences.Finally, by submitting your proposal you confirm that you have the rights to present the content and that doing so does not infringe on the copyright or trademarks of others.

    Questions
    Dave Eng, EdD
    [email protected]
    www.universityxp.com

    Games-Based Learning Virtual Conference 2026 Call for Session Proposals Submit a Proposal: https://forms.gle/ScGcCT5NxQHaXETeA