For Presenters

Hitpoints & History 2026’s focus is

Gameplay: Intent, Agency, and Historical Authenticity

You control the buttons you press. Gameplay has the ability to shape how we view games and can influence the way we view history. It is the culmination of not only the choices that developers and players make, but the evolution of the experience over time and across games. From translating hieroglyphs to parkourinrg off of temples, the way that players interact with their worlds defines how they see them. That interaction changes all the time, between different modes of storytelling and media. The connection between developer intent, player agency, and historical authenticity is the central focus of Hitpoints & History 2026.

We invite submissions that explore key questions on all aspects of gameplay - everything from authentic character portrayals to gameplay accessibility. Our goal is to explore how gameplay interacts with our perceptions of cultures and narratives.

Typical Types of Presentations at Hitpoints & History

Workshops: Workshops are all about teaching a practical skill. They should have some immersive/hands on aspect to work with. A typical workshop length is one hour. 

Lectures: A lecture is a prepared talk that you alone will give to an audience. At Hitpoints and History, a typical lecture length is 15-60 minutes.

Panel / Roundtables: A panel/roundtable discussion is talking to your friends or peers with an audience. Submissions for this type of presentation should include multiple people. A typical panel/roundtable discussion length is 1 hour.

Playthroughs / Let’s Play: A playthrough is playing a game by yourself (or with a teammate you bring), with commentary (historical OR game development). Think twitch — the audience might be able to interact but you should plan on playing the game alone. A typical playthrough length is 1 to 2 hours. 

Tabletop sessions: A tabletop session is playing a game with friends! In this you will create a table top game (TTRPG/board game/or other) and allow audience members to self-select to join/play. The average tabletop session is 3 hours.

Do you have something in mind that doesn’t fit one of these categories? Let us know!

Presentation Timing

All sessions are scheduled on 15 minute increments. If you want a Q&A, let us know and that will not be counted as part of your presentation time. If you want to do a longer or shorter time, please reach out and we can talk about alternatives.