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IEEE CoG 2026

Doctoral Consortium

The annual IEEE Conference on Games (IEEE CoG) seeks to be the premier venue for technical, scientific, and engineering work on video games, board games, and other types of games. Games offer a fantastic domain for computational creativity, game design, technology, education, social sciences and, undoubtedly, artificial and computational intelligence. IEEE CoG is a venue to discuss recent advances and explore future directions. IEEE CoG 2026 will take place at Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain.

The Doctoral Consortium at the IEEE Conference on Games 2026 provides a structured forum for doctoral researchers to present ongoing work, receive targeted feedback from senior academics and practitioners, and engage in high-level technical discussion within the international games research community. The consortium is intended to support the development of rigorous, methodologically sound, and impactful doctoral research. It facilitates critical reflection, peer exchange, and mentorship, with a focus on advancing contributions that align with the scientific and technical scope of the conference.

Submissions are invited in all areas covered by CoG 2026, including, but not limited to:
game design and development; artificial intelligence and computational intelligence in games; machine learning for games; player modelling and player experience; user research and evaluation methodologies; serious games and games for health, education, and social impact; game analytics and data-driven design; procedural content generation; interactive storytelling and narrative systems; human–computer interaction in games; virtual, augmented, and mixed reality; affective computing; multi-agent systems; game theory; and interdisciplinary research bridging games with psychology, design, engineering, and the social sciences.

Submission requirements

Applicants must submit a non-anonymised manuscript (2–4 pages, excluding references) that provides a concise and structured overview of their doctoral research.

Submissions are expected to:

  • Clearly articulate the research problem and its significance;
  • Define research objectives and/or hypotheses;
  • Position the work within the relevant state of the art;
  • Describe the proposed or implemented methodology with sufficient technical detail;
  • Present preliminary results or validation strategy, where applicable;
  • Outline the planned research trajectory and expected scientific contributions.

Submissions should demonstrate technical quality, clarity of scope, and alignment with the research areas of CoG 2026.

In addition, applicants must include:

  • A Curriculum Vitae
  • A brief statement of intent, outlining how participation in the Doctoral Consortium will contribute to their research progress, including specific technical or conceptual challenges they wish to address

All materials must be compiled into a single PDF file.

Submission Process

Submissions must be made via the conference management system:
https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=cog2026

All manuscripts must conform to the official IEEE conference formatting guidelines. Templates (MS Word and LaTeX) are available at: https://www.ieee.org/conferences/publishing/templates.html

Each submission will undergo peer review and will be evaluated according to:

  • Relevance to the CoG research scope;
  • Originality and potential contribution to the field;
  • Technical soundness and methodological rigor;
  • Clarity, structure, and completeness of presentation.

Important dates:

  • Deadline for submission of DC Papers: 22 June 2026
  • Notification of Acceptance of DC Papers: 3 July 2026
  • Early Bird Registration deadline: 7 July 2026
  • Conference Dates: 1-4 September 2026

Format and Participation

The Doctoral Consortium will be organised as an interactive, discussion oriented session, prioritising in-depth feedback and technical exchange over formal presentation.

Each accepted participant will be required to:

  • Provide a concise introduction (1 slide, maximum 60 seconds) summarising their research context and objectives;
  • Deliver a 10 minute technical presentation, followed by moderated discussion;
  • Actively participate in peer feedback and group discussion;

The format is designed to enable direct interaction between doctoral researchers, senior academics, and industry experts, supporting constructive critique and interdisciplinary engagement.

Please also visit the Travel Grants section. Note that you do not need to wait for notification for the acceptance to the Doctoral Consortium to apply for a travel grant. The deadline for travel grant applications is 26th June.

Publication Policy

Doctoral Consortium submissions will not be included in the IEEE proceedings or digital library, thereby preserving the originality of the work and allowing subsequent submission to archival publication venues.