Another season, another issue in the works, another theme for which we need your amazing, intriguing, and confounding ideas. But this time, we have a bonus-sized Call for Pitches. After all, you may have noticed we have this new website here …
Kill Screen Magazine #4: The Public Play Issue
Following on the close quarters of our “Intimacy” issue, we’re ready to talk about playing out in the open. This means games that are played in front of other people—in the streets, at a con, in a game room, on the playground. Arcades are an obvious starting place, but the last few years have seen many other forms of communal gaming.
Here are some things to consider:
• Street games (see: Come Out and Play)
• Playing when you think nobody’s watching you
• Public performance
• Pro gaming
• Convention games
• Interviews with people who make these kinds of games
• Social networking. Facebook. Foursquare!
• And yes, arcades. But we’re looking for really good, special arcade stories. A story about the arcade you went to when you were a kid, and it was great, and now it’s gone, will be a tough sell. The more specific, the better-researched, and the more unusual it is, the more intrigued we’ll be.
As always, check out our writer’s guidelines for advice. And send your ideas to submissions@killscreenmagazine.com.
Kill Screen Online (!)
We’re now taking web pitches! Send us concise ideas for any of the following:
1) Original and short (3–500 words) reviews of games. They don’t need to have been released in the past week, and they can be big or small. We’re less interested in comprehensive product breakdowns. Come with one strong angle.
2) Something that you might have considered writing for the magazine, but shorter in length (7-800 words). Offbeat, experimental, weird and ephemeral topics are all a good fit.
3) Proposals for topical, recurring contributions. We’re seeking correspondents to regularly cover a variety of beats: art, film, technology, sound, artificial intelligence, and more we haven’t thought of (surprise us).
4) Strong interviews with game makers, or people with an interesting project or compelling insight into gaming. Again, an original and focused angle helps here, as do interview subjects less frequently heard from.
Send your web pitches to ryan@killscreenmagazine.com.
Photograph by Tim Schapker