THE JOURNAL OF GAMING AND VIRTUAL WORLDS (ISSN: 1757191X)

The Journal of Gaming and Virtual Worlds is a peer-refereed, international journal which focuses on theoretical and applied, empirical, critical, rhetorical, creative, economic and professional approaches to the study of electronic games across platforms and genres as well as ludic and serious online environments such as Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games and Second Life. The Journal aims at researchers and professionals working in and researching creative new media and entertainment software around the globe and seeks to document, harmonise, juxtapose and critically evaluate cutting-edge market trends, technological developments, as well as socio-cultural, political, economic and psychological concerns. It informs its readers about recent events such as conferences, and features long articles, short papers, poster abstracts, interviews, reports and reviews of relevant new publications, websites, virtual environments and electronic artefacts.

Contributions are invited from all fields of game studies research, design and development. We seek to provide a platform for vivid information interchange between academia and industry, between scholarship and professionalism, between theory, criticism and practice. Typical subject areas include

• Theory and criticism: e.g. narratology, ludology, philosophy, gender, race, identity, history (of and in games), rhetorical approaches, discourse analysis and semiotics, genre criticism and cultural studies
• Social and psychological concerns: e.g. (online) communities, participation, interaction, identity formation, networks, violence and addiction, emotion, children’s social behaviour, cognitive effects, e-learning and education
• Design issues: e.g. developments in 3D modelling, authenticity and realism, mimesis, screenwriting, sound effects, composition, static vs. moving image, cut scenes, background vs. foreground, multimodality, simulation and game engines
• Reception and production: e.g. ethnography, customer research, therapeutic and hazardous effects, serialisation, adaptation, franchising, commercial vs. serious games, transmediation, intermediality, artificial intelligence, and new literacy studies.

For articles, please send your manuscript as a Word-file e-mail attachment to Principal Editor Astrid Ensslin or Associate Editor Eben Muse.

For book, game, or online environment reviews, please contact Dr Matthew S.S. Johnson.

Word limits:
Long articles: 4,000-6,000 words
Short articles: 3,000-4,000 words
Conference reports: 500-1,000 words
Reviews (books, websites, games and other relevant software) and interviews: 1,500-2,000 words

For questions on formatting and spelling, please consult the Intellect Style Guide: http://www.intellectbooks.co.uk/journals/page/index,name=journalstyleguide/ and/or contact the Editors.

ADDITIONAL REVIEW INFORMATION:
As Reviews Editor, I will give preference to more recent texts, of course, but I believe that reviewing comparatively "older" material still is valid, and useful on a scholarly level -- so I am happy to entertain suggestions. Reviews can be of books, games, electronic environments (all of which fit under "text" as I am using the term), and so forth related to the aims of the journal (see above). If reviewing a game or virtual environment, I will be looking for reviews that are of scholarly (as opposed to, say, "commercial") value (we are looking for how texts contribute to the field -- new media studies, new literacy, rhetoric, games studies/ludology, culture studies, etc.; connect to pedagogy or literacy development; relate to other texts; or make a cultural impact. (If a game review might appear on GameSpot, for instance, well, that is not the type of review in which we are interested). Reviews will have their own titles (in an effort to recognize that they are more sophisticated than mere evaluations). I am happy to forward examples of previous reviews to potential reviewers. A separate CFP will go out for themed issues of JGVW. And while I might request specific texts (or make particular suggestions to potential reviewers, I am keenly interested in reviewers determining their own materials for review and I will remain flexible, accordingly. If I receive an unsolicited review and cannot include it in the next issue, I will hold onto it -- with its author's permission -- for a subsequent issue. For academic books in particular, I will work with the publishers to procure complimentary copies; however, this strategy does not work with stand-alone games or subscriptions to MMOGs or other virtual worlds . . . and different publishers have different policies concerning "free" materials (perhaps needless to say, neither I nor JGVW has a budget to purchase materials for reviewers).

Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions.