We are so pleased the bring you the inaugural issue of the NYMG Journal (Vol. 1, no. 1), the first Feminist Game Studies middle-state journal. Here you will experience games scholarship in multiple media and from a variety of communities.
We are working to be feminist not only in our theory, but also in our practice and for this reason our peer review process is one that makes names and comments from the review board visible and allows for discussion between reviewer and composer during the revision process so that it is more collaborative in nature. We are also embracing the idea that games scholarship is not limited to traditionally credentialed academics, but that there is much to said by and learned from voices outside of academia. And this first issue offers a good range of just these kinds of pieces.
In this first issue we have Adrienne Shaw’s keynote address from the 2017 Critical Gaming Symposium, “Are We There Yet?: The Politics and Practice of Intersectional Feminist Game Studies,” which addresses the very question that we sought to address when we asked ourselves “why launch a feminist game studies journal?” Shaw offers us an opportunity to ask ourselves as gamers, scholars, critics, and more, “Are we there yet?” and if not, “How do we get there from here?”
This issue also includes Elizabeth Ballou’s critical review on the ways that women and their sexuality are depicted in CD Projekt Red’s action RPG The Witcher 3. Lauren Woolbright’s (playable!) text-based game, The Blood of the Vampire and its critical framing rounds out our inaugural issue.
As editor-in-chief I would like to thank not only my Assistant Editor, Alisha Karabinus, the amazing board of reviewers who offered their time and expertise to this endeavor, and the amazing people who have submitted pieces for consideration for this and future issues. They have all made this first issue possible and I hope you all enjoy it.
Submissions are open for our next issue!
Game On!
Samantha Blackmon, PhD
Editor-in-Chief
