10th ITRA World Conference
5-7 August 2026
Augsburg, Germany

The Conference Program can be found here and the Book of Abstracts is here.

Conference Theme:

Throughout recorded history, toys and games have shaped and reflected who we are. They inspire our play and fuel our development, both as individuals and members of society, ready to face the unique demands of our time. As the world has changed, so too have our toys and games. We can observe them evolving, progressing, adapting, seemingly disappearing, and surprisingly reappearing over time. Yet they are more than mere reflections. Just as play creates and shapes culture, as Huizinga noted in Homo Ludens, toys and games create and shape our realities as well as our understandings of them.  As both carriers and changemakers of culture, they represent and influence the collective spirit of their times – the Zeitgeist. 

As a community of toy researchers, archivists, curators, professionals, practitioners, and designers, we not only try to decipher and understand this constantly changing zeitgeist, but also to help shape it. We know just how important that task is. Through play with toys and games, players gain understanding for the worlds in which they live and can make it their own. They can learn and practice essential skills, and they can be introduced to and confronted with the great challenges of their time - all in the creative, inspiring, and open sphere of play. Looking at the past, present, and future of playthings, the question is not so much what the zeitgeist in toys and games can be – but rather how and what they contribute to the multiple and potentially conflicting constellations of ideas, values and norms that come to characterize particular epochs.  Given the importance of play, toys and games for us individually and collectively, we have a deep and far-reaching responsibility in trying to answer these questions.

The 10th ITRA World Conference provides opportunities to exchange, reflect on, and discuss the zeitgeist in toys and games. We invite proposals from many different disciplines and professions. We also want to include all kinds of toys, games, playthings—physical, digital or hybrid—in our discussions. 

The scientific committee welcomes abstracts of completed research, case studies design studies, educational and development projects, including those in process or development, as well as ideas for future research in order to generate discussion and feedback.  Submissions related to the main conference theme are invited, as well as from a broad range of topics on toys, games, and play, including but not limited to:

  • Art and Artistry

  • AI, Metaverse, Internet of Things and other [New] Technologies

  • Availability, Accessibility, and Affordability

  • Collecting, Collections, and Preservation

  • Cultures, Communities, and Societies

  • Gamification

  • History and Historical Analysis

  • Indigenous, Folk, and Ancient Toys & Games

  • Innovations, Transitions, and Subversions

  • Intersectionality, Inclusivity, and Intergenerationality

  • Lifelong Playing and Learning

  • Playgrounds, Parks, and Other Playspaces

  • Play Therapy and Therapeutic Toys

  • Promotions, Markets, and Trends

  • Playthings in, of, and for Times of War and Peace

  • Social Justice and Representation

  • Socialization, Identity, and Development 

  • Sustainability, Safety, and Design

  • Teaching, and Learning

Publications

Conference proceedings will be published in the open archive HAL. HAL is an online scientific research document repository.