About Game Poems
Game Poems is an online literary magazine dedicated to exploring the artistic potential of small, poetic videogames
Mission Statement
The videogame poem is a concept that challenges traditional boundaries between art forms. While poetry is often seen as a medium for introspection and cultural critique, videogames are typically associated with industrialism, consumerism, and resource consumption—more often about conquering worlds than contemplating them. However, these assumptions can be subverted.
At Game Poems we are interested in short-form videogames that explore every aspect of human experience. Not only “What happens when two objects collide?” (what many videogames have historically been about) but also: “Why does death so catch us by surprise, and why love?” (Annie Dillard.)
Each issue of Game Poems curates an innovative collection of small, poetic videogames, or "game poems." That is, short interactive artworks that borrow language and framing from traditional videogames (e.g., they may utilize a player-controlled avatar or make use of classic videogame iconography), while also presenting themselves as poems in some way (perhaps by engaging with creative material constraints, playing with poetic text, or simply following in the lyric tradition of short-form personal expression).
The magazine foregrounds the convergences that exist between game making and poetry, highlights "born-videogame" poetics, and promotes videogame creation as a legitimate form of poetic practice.
Inclusivity Statement
Game Poems is dedicated to platforming and amplifying game poets from all walks of life. We believe that game poems can and should be made by anyone and everyone, reflecting the full spectrum of human experience. We especially welcome submissions from disenfranchised creators, those with marginalized perspectives, poets new to game development, game developers new to poetry, international creators, and creators who may not feel at home in either academia or the games industry. Your voice matters, and we want Game Poems to be a space where it can be heard.
Audience and Distribution
Game Poems connects independent artists and game designers with scholar-makers, academic theorists, and that portion of the game-playing public interested in avant-garde and artistic short-form games. As such, we seek to appeal to a wide range of makers, readers, players, and scholars across a variety of domains. We distribute the games we publish via our website, within academic networks, at poetry conferences and art festivals, and on mainstream gamer-facing platforms such as Itch.io and Steam.
Models and Inspiration
Publications such as The New River, Taper, and The HTML Review serve as a crucial models of online literary magazines and journals that feature interactive works aimed at an academic audience—but Game Poems draws equal inspiration from the indie spirit evident in self-published videogame zines and newsletters such as Indiepocalypse, ChoiceBeat, and Knucklebone Magazine.
Editorial Process and Selection Criteria
For information about our editorial process and selection criteria, please see our Submissions page.
Partners
Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton
We will be showcasing a selection of game poems from this magazine at the Winchester School of Art in collaboration with the University of Southampton and the Winchester Poetry Festival.
Winchester Poetry Festival
We will be showcasing a selection of game poems from this magazine as an official dimension of the upcoming Winchester Poetry Festival, in collaboration with the Festival, and the Winchester School of Art.
Additional Partners
We are actively seeking mutually-beneficial partnerships with institutions, organizations, and publications that might help us expand our reach and impact. If you are interested in partnering with us, please get in touch.
About the Founding Editor
Jordan Magnuson is an experimental game designer and new media scholar, with deep roots in the independent gaming community. He founded The Independent Gaming Source (aka TIGSource) once upon a time, and is author of the book Game Poems: Videogame Design as Lyric Practice. Jordan is currently Senior Lecturer in Games and Media Art at the University of Southampton, and 2024-25 Fulbright Scholar in Digital Culture at the University of Bergen. You can learn more about Jordan and his work at JordanMagnuson.com.