Well Played Journal
Video Games, Value and Meaning
What makes a game good? or bad? or better?
The Well Played Journal is a forum for in-depth close readings of video games that parse out the various meanings to be found in the experience of playing a game. It is a reviewed journal open to submissions that will be released on a regular basis.
Further details after the jump
Contributors are encouraged to analyze sequences in a game in detail in order to illustrate and interpret how the various components of a game can come together to create a fulfilling playing experience unique to this
medium. Through contributors, the journal will provide a variety of perspectives on the value of games.
As with the 3 Well Played books, the term ³well played² is being used in two senses. On the one hand, well played is to games as well read is to books. So, a person who reads books a lot is “well read” and a person who plays games a lot is “well played.” On the other hand, well played as in well done. So, a hand of poker can be “well played” by a person, and a game can be “well played” by the development team.
Contributors are encouraged looking at video games through both senses of “well played.” So, with well played as in well read, contributors are looking closely at the experience of playing a game. And with well played as
in well done, contributors are looking at a game in terms of how well it is designed and developed.
The goal of the journal is to continue developing and defining a literacy of games as well as a sense of their value as an experience. Video games are a complex medium that merits careful interpretation and insightful analysis. By inviting contributors to look closely at video games and the experience of playing them, we hope to expand the discussion, and show how games are well played in a variety of ways.
Well Played session tracks are also being held at academic and industry conferences. There will be a track of sessions at Games, Learning and Society in 2011 as well as Indiecade 2011 with future events being planned.
All submissions and questions should be sent to:
etcpress-info ( at ) lists ( dot ) andrew ( dot ) cmu ( dot ) edu
Follow Well Played on Twittter: http://twitter.com/#!/etcwellplayed
Well Played Editorial Advisory Board
Drew Davidson
N’Gai Croal
Mary Flanagan
Tracy Fullerton
James Paul Gee
Katherine Isbister
Richard Lemarchand
Stone Librande
Celia Pearce
Jane Pinckard
Sam Roberts
Jesse Schell
John Sharp
Lee Sheldon
Kurt Squire
Constance Steinkeuhler
Alice Taylor