First-Person Narrator

OMFG, the latest issue of Cerise has finally been posted! Check out The Socially Conscious Gamer, featuring super-spiffy cover by amphigori and lots of really keen content. I would direct your attention particularly to Kialio's "I Am a Gamer" and Casey Fiesler's "This is Our World Too," if I knew you only had time to read one or two things from this issue. Really, though, read it all!

What will our next theme be, you might ask? Dude, damned if I know. Things have been super hella wacky for we fine folk at Cerise and we're, uh, kinda behind on things. We're also probably shifting around to a quarterly schedule for articles, but keeping a monthly schedule for reviews, or something similar. Up in the air! I do know that we'll be doing a retro gaming issue and a romance issue within the next year, and chances are good that our very next issue will be free topic. So if you've got something you wanna write, go for it, and we can sort out where it belongs later, okay?

Cerise is on hiatus this month (and there's a survey up in place of an issue, so we can gather some data to help us make the magazine better), but we'll be back in October with a special "crossover" issue with Girl-Wonder.org. The call for subs reads thus:

Cerise is partnering with Girl-Wonder.org for this special issue on comics in gaming. What are some of the best comics-inspired games out there, and what makes them so awesome? What about game-inspired comics? Can game designers learn anything from comics creators, and vice versa? How do comics and gaming communities overlap and interact?

If you’re interested in both gaming and comics, consider submitting your work for this issue. And keep an eye out for related content on Girl-Wonder.org in the month of October!

Submissions info is here, as usual, and you can always send me a message or an email if you've got questions or ideas you want to bounce around. I think it'll be a really fun issue, and I'm hoping to get some great content.

On the subject of comics and such, I don't think I mentioned that I wrote a piece for the first issue of Spoiler Space, G-W's new newsletter/webzine. You can read "On Being the Bigger Barda" in the online version, or download (and then probably print out!) the snazzy pdf version.

The July issue of Cerise is up. That's me and Mom on the cover! We look a little alike, huh?

If you read nothing else in this issue, check out Mara Poulsen's article about developing games for Xbox Live. Really interesting stuff.

Next month's theme is thus:

Fight Like a Girl

Violence of one kind or another is a common feature of many games, and a matter of some concern to the non-gaming population. Is it all just harmless fantasy fun, or are there lines that shouldn’t be crossed? What’s so enjoyable about fighting in games?

And what about gendered violence in gaming? Female fighters are often fetishized in a way their male counterparts aren’t, and women and girl characters are often victims of sexualized violence. What does all this mean for gaming and for gamers?

If you’re interested in topics relating to violence, fighting and sexuality in gaming, be sure to submit your work for this issue.

IRONICALLY (or not), my gaming group and I totally failed at violence tonight at our scheduled D&D game. We talked about mental illness stigma for a while, and then went to the closest drugstore to purchase hair dye and nail polish, and all became redheads (with varying degrees of success. Heather kept insisting that her hair wouldn't actually go red, since the dye is too puny to penetrate her Mighty Afro-Puff, but this was lies. Hers came out the reddest of all). My hair is auburn, my nails are a delightful shade of green called "Big Money Frost," and I am content.

The current issue of Cerise is going live super-late this month because Real Life attacked everyone on staff simultaneously. Usually it just picks a few of the stragglers off every thirty days or so.

Anyway. I wanted to post the theme for June even though the May issue isn't up yet because a) I think it is an awesome theme and b) I suspect that some of you will also find it awesome, and might like to write something for it:

June 2008 Issue

Submission deadline: May 20th, 2008
Theme: Heroines and Villainesses

Male heroes and villains seem to dominate gaming storylines, but there are plenty of fascinating female hero(in)es and villain(esse)s, too. This issue aims to celebrate and discuss our favorite (and least favorite) female characters, both protagonists and antagonists.

Who are your all-time favorite heroines and villainesses, and why are they so great? What makes a video game heroine heroic? What’s it like to roleplay as a villainess? What are some of the typical ways in which female heroes and villains differ from their male counterparts – and is that okay? If these questions intrigue you, be sure to submit your work for this issue.

Guidelines, as always, reside here.

After much wailing and gnashing of teeth, including a last minute theme change, the April issue of Cerise is live. Olivia and I were really keen on doing a queer-focused issue, but we just didn't get enough on-topic submissions to make it work, which was a major bummer. We both think that it's well worth trying again, though, so if you were interested in that topic in particular, keep an eye out for round two.

In the meantime, there's a cool grab-bag of stuff in the April issue, including an article discussing what we can expect from D&D 4.0 and Latoya's take on Miss Bimbo.

And now... homework calls!

I went to the Ides of Gaming today with Jimmy and our friend Dan and had a lot of fun. We couldn't stay long (Dan had tango, and I had homework), but I was really glad that we got to stop in for a little while. I've been meaning to go for ages, and I'm hoping to get involved in some more local gaming events with the SAGA crew. I met lots of fun people, including Jess Hartley (who I interviewed online for Cerise once) and played some games I hadn't tried before. w00t!

Anyway, it reminded me that I haven't posted the call for submissions for our upcoming issue. So, here's that, then:

April 2008 Issue

Submission deadline: March 20th, 2008
Theme: Do You Game With Dorothy?

Any group whose members commonly use the word “gay” as a synonym for “foolish” or “undesirable” undoubtedly has some pretty serious heterosexist biases. Queer gamers face challenges ranging from lack of representation in many games to objectification or outright hostility from some corners of gaming culture.

What’s it like to be a lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender gamer? Which communities, game designers and companies are serving queer gamers well, and which are failing to consider them at all? What can be done to improve representation for queer gamers? While we here at Cerise welcome discussion of queer concerns in gaming at any time, our April 2008 issue will be specifically devoted to giving the spotlight to marginalized sexualities – if the preceding questions are important to you, don’t miss this issue!

The latest issue of Cerise, in which my weird fixation on fashion dolls found outlet in both a cover image and a game review, can be read now.

Next month's theme is "The Older Gamer":

With constant media focus on children whose health and morals might be in danger from gaming and young adults and their buying trends, it’s easy to lose sight of the older gamer – particularly the older female gamer. We all know that she exists, though, and that she’s a force to be reckoned with!

And that’s why this issue of Cerise aims to focus on older gamers, both those who have been playing since they themselves were impressionable youngsters and those who have only recently picked up the hobby for the first time. Are you interested in this too-often-ignored gaming population? Are you, yourself, an older gamer? Then this is the issue you’ve been waiting for!

Deadline for submissions is February 20th (though if you chat with me before that, I can give you more time), and subs can be sent directly to me, as always.

...Yay, fashion dolls!

The latest issue of Cerise is live: January 2008: New Year, New Games

I think my favorite things from this issue are the interviews (with Mighty Ponygirl and Naomi Clark) and Samara Steele's poem.

I'm looking forward to seeing what people come up with for February's issue:

February 2008 Issue

Submission deadline: January 20th, 2008
Theme: Princess Power

Whether as passive prizes to be won, powerful allies or player characters, princesses have long been popular in both table top and video games. Why the enduring fascination with princesses? What are some of the themes of power and peril that are explored through princess characters?

Whether you love princesses or hate them, if you want to explore ideas of femininity, exceptionalism, class, empowerment and more through the lense of the princess – or even if you’ve just always wanted a shiny tiara of your very own – this is the issue you’ve been waiting for.

I think there's a ton of interesting stuff to work with, there, and I can't wait to read it.

So the transcript of the women and gaming debate I did at Xfire is up (has been for a few days, actually), if any of you wanted to read it. Be kind while making fun of me for expressing myself poorly, okay? Okay.

And also, I posted something at The Hathor Legacy that isn't an I Read the Internets column. It also isn't long, but it felt good anyway.