Someone asked recently why we bother with the weekly publish, the issue themes and all those trapping of the magazine we used to be, when the website we are today seems as if it would do well enough without all that claptrap. As usual when someone questions one of our long-held beliefs, we took a moment to think about it.
The answer, we decided, was not only that we’re simply used to doing it this way, but that our themes make it easier for us to encourage our enormously talented pool of writers to create their best possible work for us; that the themes allow you to focus your energies on exactly what we’re looking for, and hopefully exactly what our readers want to read. That’s an answer we can live with, and a philosophy we’re proud to uphold as we plan ahead for the years to come.
Our three-year anniversary is approaching, and we’re quite excited about it. A lot has changed at The Escapist in the three years since we started putting print-quality game writing on the web, but the core of what we do – exploring the recesses of gaming and media culture in as meaningful and timeless a manner as possible – remains the same. In spite of the many additions to our brand, the weekly magazine is still there, and we like to think it’s as good as it has ever been, if not better.
As for the calendar, it’s one of our best ever. We start out with Issue 157, “Gaming Uber Alles, Year Three,” a celebration of gaming’s rising prominence among entertainment media as well as a fine cap for our first three years. Also notable are Issue 160, “sEx,” The Escapist’s look at mature themes in games; Issue 164, “Heart and Seoul,” our exploration of the Korean gaming space; and Issue 169, our second (hopefully quarterly) fiction issue. Please note that the pitch deadline and the article due date for Issue 169, Fiction, are the same, 6/30/2008. We’re again accepting only completed pieces of short fiction for that issue, at no more than 2000 words.
As always, The Escapist is completely open to submissions from anyone and everyone, and all submissions will be considered. The calendar and submission guidelines are here:
