Here is the general rule: all stories must be true, founded on truth, or based on the factual. My Game Story accepts non-fiction only. We have decided not to include fictional stories for a simple reason; we want all posted stories to be based in actuality or truth, even if, perhaps, the truth is stretched a tad. This is not only acceptable convention for non-fiction, it is expected. And considering our cultural use of exaggeration, stories will, and probably should, include some additional spice. It makes for a better story.
I should stress that we do truly appreciate fiction. I personally like to write, primarily, in the genre of creative short-fiction. Additionally, video game fiction can be truly impressive writing, such as the humorous stories of GameSpy's David 'Fargo' Kosak. That said, we feel there are other venues for fictional game stories available. My Game Story is for true stories only. Please read the Welcome Message for an explanation.
Below is a list of the genres and formats we accept at My Game Story:
- Non-Fiction Stories
- Poetry
- Histories
- Artwork and Comics
- Videos
Non-Fiction
Non-fiction is true stories, stories based on truth, or stories founded in factuality. These can be written with any voice, tense, or from any person you desire. They can be about an awesome experience you had while playing Starcraft. Or, stories can be more personal, like how Super Mario Bros. allowed you to connect to your daughter emotionally, for example. The universe is open to you. Write whatever you want about anything you want however you want to say it, as long as its based on true events. Please note, we accept stories about published games, independent games, mods for games, even flash games. As long as its an experience you had while actually playing some sort of game, it counts.
Histories
This genre is different from non-fiction, though the two can certainly overlap. As part of the My Game Story mission statement, we want to record stories about game experiences, but also histories of video games themselves. Histories are about specific video games, development studios or publishing houses, or game designers. An example would be a history about the the game Zero Wing and the resultant "All Your Base" viral phenomenon early in the century (someone please write this, or find it). Or, one could write a history about Alex Pajitnov and his eighth wonder of the world, Tetris. We feel these are equally important as non-fiction stories about game experiences. Naturally, though, we don't expect to receive them quite as often. And thats alright.
Videos
This may seem self-explanatory but our acceptance can be a bit tricky. We do accept multiple styles of narrative video, stressing, however, captured footage of gameplay. We also accept edited or directed pieces about video games or gaming events, as these would classify as histories. We do not accept gameplay tutorial videos. We do not accept machinima, as these are fictional. But we do accept pseudo-machinima, such as movies made with Lionhead Studios' The Movies, which is technically footage of, and the purpose, of the game and includes unpredictable elements.
Captured footage can be off-screen or direct-capture. Gameplay videos may be edited or spliced to include title screens and credits, for example, as long as the final video stays true to the actual events and does not falsify the happening or allow room for misinterpretation. Videos can even be directed. An acceptable video, for example, would be one in which the director deliberately demonstrated "the black hole" glitch in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
We also accept documentaries, being video versions of histories. An acceptable documentary would be coverage of a Major League Gaming tournament.
Lastly, after much deliberation, we have decided to not accept comb-videos. Here are a variety of reasons. For one, there are already a multitude of venues available for this format, combovideos.com, for example. Second, we want to focus on individual, exciting occurrences in video games. While combo-videos are awesome in their own right, and produce nice compilations of things achievable in specific games, they aren't exactly stories. Third, we would like to maintain diversity of story format and we fear there would be an influx of combo-videos. However, a documentary about Johnathan 'Fatal1ty' Wendel would be acceptable, though it many elements similar to a combo-video.
Collaborations and Series
Another option is collaborations. You are welcome to collaborate with other gamers and storytellers. For example, it is likely that some will have memorable game experiences but want friends to write the story for them. This is acceptable. Also, an infinite amount of people may contribute to the writing of a story. When submitting the story, be sure to give credit to all authors.
Last, we accept episodic stories. Perhaps you would like to write a diary of your experience playing World of Warcraft; if the story is structured well, has purpose, and is compelling, we will accept the story in episodes and post each entry individually. When submitting intended episodic stories, be sure to indicate that the story is or will be part of a larger series.
This post will be changed, updated and expanded upon as the site progresses. Also, any or all acceptance policies are subject to change, though we're likely to become more lenient than strict. Don't let this post discourage you. Though it may seem intimidating, we accept most any story you have to tell. Send them to us. We and millions of other gamers want to hear your story.
Please read and comply with the submission guidelines before sending in your stories.
Updated on 01/06/07. Changed "Comics" to "Artwork."
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment