To kick off the new year, there's nothing like month old news. The International Journal of Roleplaying is accepting submissions for articles until Feb 1st. They are to be peer-reviewed and published early summer if their plans work out.
It's a new Journal, and like all new things will live or die by the quality of its submissions (and I assume by the reaction and existence of its readers).
Something I found interesting was the nationalities involved in the first issue- Australia, Denmark, Finland, and New Zealand. None of the authors were from the birthplace of the modern RPG. Somehow that seems... right in a way. The US historically is more interested in practical outcomes than theory. Better to play and have fun than overthink it and ruin a good time.
I likely should do short reviews of the first articles to prep for the 2nd issue. I think I'll take that up next week.
In short, here a chance for all you gaming theorists? Think you know your stuff? Have the chops to write a paper for a peer-reviewed journal? Here's your chance. Go for it.
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Ha! Great post. It would be fun to see one of the online theory crowd submit a paper for peer review. Doubt it'll happen, though. Likely one of that group would say it "misses the point" of their idle musings (really, you can't call them "theories"), anyway.
I think the fairest description of most the people writing about RPGs and theory is at best 'Commentator' or Author (if they have published a game).
To me, 'peer-review' conjures images of data and charts referencing the results of an in-depth study. That and the research methods used that are double checked for possible errors of method and logic.
And I don't really think that's the case here. The articles from issue #1 stuck me as mostly 'musings' with references to some other dude's 'musing'.
In fact, most such papers have stuck me that way. Maybe I'm missing something.
My gut says what you are missing is the way peer-reviewed journals play out in the humanities. Let me just say that the Sokal Affair doesn't really strike me as an isolated aberration and leave it at that.
Man, I'm glad I left academia when faced with the choice to get out or go on.
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