Call For Articles And More For Community Magazine
by Chip Lambert · 02/15/2006 (7:25 pm) · 19 comments
I'm planning on the first issue of the magazine going out sometime in April, probably close to the end. I've got the following planned for it but I'm making a call for Articles. I would like some community members to contribute some article (be it a tutorial (non source code based), review of a tool you've used, interview, etc) I have this planned so far:
Reviews:
PHP Overlord
3D World Studio
Articles:
Adding A Friends List To An Online Game (based off of Dreamer's Advanced MMORPG series) With PHP
Also I'm calling for help on naming the magazine. I would like the community to submit some names for the magazine and I'll compile the list of the best ones for people to vote for on the website (which should be up in about a month). Also I will be adding a "Game In A Month" type contest that was suggested in my last blog post by Aaron Ellis, so I would like some sort of theme to have for the contest.
Anyone interested in helping, contributing, please email me. To those who have emailed me so far, please email me again. I had a hard drive failure and did not have my Outlook .pst backed up, so I lost all the emails I had thus far and the contacts.
If you are interested in advertising your content pack, game, tool, etc please email me as well for information regarding that.
I'm looking forward to this coming to light guys. If I understand correctly, Mr. Tunnell seems to be pretty keen on the idea so I'd like to impress him :)
Reviews:
PHP Overlord
3D World Studio
Articles:
Adding A Friends List To An Online Game (based off of Dreamer's Advanced MMORPG series) With PHP
Also I'm calling for help on naming the magazine. I would like the community to submit some names for the magazine and I'll compile the list of the best ones for people to vote for on the website (which should be up in about a month). Also I will be adding a "Game In A Month" type contest that was suggested in my last blog post by Aaron Ellis, so I would like some sort of theme to have for the contest.
Anyone interested in helping, contributing, please email me. To those who have emailed me so far, please email me again. I had a hard drive failure and did not have my Outlook .pst backed up, so I lost all the emails I had thus far and the contacts.
If you are interested in advertising your content pack, game, tool, etc please email me as well for information regarding that.
I'm looking forward to this coming to light guys. If I understand correctly, Mr. Tunnell seems to be pretty keen on the idea so I'd like to impress him :)
About the author
#2
02/15/2006 (7:37 pm)
Not saying anything bad Travis ;) 
#3
02/15/2006 (7:39 pm)
I have to do something
#4
02/15/2006 (7:39 pm)
is it just you
#5
I could commit to writing an article on software architecture for games, especially with OO design in mind. An article on design patterns for video games would really catch people's interest, and be extremely useful to those who are into that particular paradigm.
It'd be fun!
Let me know what you think.
02/15/2006 (8:22 pm)
Hi Chip!I could commit to writing an article on software architecture for games, especially with OO design in mind. An article on design patterns for video games would really catch people's interest, and be extremely useful to those who are into that particular paradigm.
It'd be fun!
Let me know what you think.
#6
Sure that sounds good. I think a lot of people could benefit from it. Contact me at the email address in my profile.
Travis:
I've got a couple people willing to help me but I'm looking for more. What area would you like to help in?
02/15/2006 (8:29 pm)
Bryan:Sure that sounds good. I think a lot of people could benefit from it. Contact me at the email address in my profile.
Travis:
I've got a couple people willing to help me but I'm looking for more. What area would you like to help in?
#7
"Torque Talk"
or
"Talk Torque"
:)
Also don't forget an indie spotlight feature. Pick a developer or member of GG or someone somehow assosiated with Torque and interview them. Thats one area I'm really interested in reading :)
02/16/2006 (3:46 am)
I'd call the mag"Torque Talk"
or
"Talk Torque"
:)
Also don't forget an indie spotlight feature. Pick a developer or member of GG or someone somehow assosiated with Torque and interview them. Thats one area I'm really interested in reading :)
#8
02/16/2006 (4:12 am)
Chip - It's usually easier to impress people if you spell their name properly.
#9
02/16/2006 (5:34 am)
Fixed it Chris. Thanks. I don't know how I overlooked that.
#11
@Gary
I hadn't forgotten the indie spotlight feature. I've just been deciding on who to talk to :)
02/16/2006 (6:38 am)
Hehe like the idea Chris ;) But I think GameSpot would get a little upset with me....@Gary
I hadn't forgotten the indie spotlight feature. I've just been deciding on who to talk to :)
#12
How about "The Technical Toolshed"
or my personal favourite : "The Indie Movement"
02/16/2006 (6:46 am)
Oh, I didn't realize there was already a GameSpot...How about "The Technical Toolshed"
or my personal favourite : "The Indie Movement"
#13
02/16/2006 (7:22 am)
I like those suggestions Chris. I'll add them to my list. The Indie Movement is nice, probably my fave of the two.
#14
Chip, I am glad you are doing this. I have considered doing similar projects but want to focus on game development right now. Here are some of my thoughts in the hope you and the community accomplish my goals for me. =) My apologies in advance if you are already familiar with any or all of this.
Core Concept
The name should be catchy (fun to say) and memorable. It should also express the core values you are trying to communicate through your zine. I think I had settled on something like "The Indie Voice". This has a slightly more serious tone which may not be what you are going for. It is really important before moving forward that you discover and define the 'core' ideas around which your project will revolve. Without a center nothing can hold.
Interviewing Is Fun!
You are going to have trouble finding commited people until you become better established. Get around this by making their involvement seem more like a short fun exercise.
Interviews are a great way to get people involved with little commitment. Think of some types of interviews you want to do. Some ideas: Interview developers of upcoming indie games or recently released indie games. Interview the new associates and the old associates. Interview GG employees. Interview someone at XBox Live or other distribution channels, etc)
Figure out who you want to interview and when and contact them to see if they are interested. Tell them it will take 15 minutes of their time. Conduct them over the phone or via email questionnaires.
Seek Out Writers
Personally I think that getting people to volunteer to write articles is going to be tricky. You will most likely have better luck actively seeking people out to write on specific topics. Sit down and brainstorm on topics you would like to hear more about. You may even want to poll the community and ask them what kinds of articles they want to read.
Next, approach whoever is a good authority on the subject you are trying to get an article for. Tell them that people are really excited to hear more about 'x' and that you heard they were an expert in that area... etc.
Rely On Reviews
Reviews are a great idea. The biggest win with reviews is that you can do them on your own. This means you don't need to sell anyone to get it done... you just do it as much as you need to to get the job done. =)
One thing I would advice against is 'editorial reviews'. There are your standard reviews which use a set of guidelines (performance, graphics, etc) and then there are reviews which are sort of freeform rants or raves on whatever the author feels like talking about. You will get more respect if you establish guidelines.
Scheduling
List out all of your ideas for reviews, interviews, articles etc. This is the pool from which you are going to draw content from. Sort all the ideas down into individual issues. Approach people for contributions as early as possible. (If you know there is an article you would like to do in October, go ahead and contact people about it then contact them again in November to remind them.) Get them to sign off on helping before they have to actually do any work... then remind them of their commitments later. =)
Force of Will
One theme throughout all of this is "force of will". Essentially, nobody is going to make this zine happen for you. You have to make it happen every step of the way. Be clear not only for others but for yourself about what you want to accomplish every step of the way, make plans to achieve those goals, then execute your plans.
02/16/2006 (9:19 am)
Chip, I am glad you are doing this. I have considered doing similar projects but want to focus on game development right now. Here are some of my thoughts in the hope you and the community accomplish my goals for me. =) My apologies in advance if you are already familiar with any or all of this.
Core Concept
The name should be catchy (fun to say) and memorable. It should also express the core values you are trying to communicate through your zine. I think I had settled on something like "The Indie Voice". This has a slightly more serious tone which may not be what you are going for. It is really important before moving forward that you discover and define the 'core' ideas around which your project will revolve. Without a center nothing can hold.
Interviewing Is Fun!
You are going to have trouble finding commited people until you become better established. Get around this by making their involvement seem more like a short fun exercise.
Interviews are a great way to get people involved with little commitment. Think of some types of interviews you want to do. Some ideas: Interview developers of upcoming indie games or recently released indie games. Interview the new associates and the old associates. Interview GG employees. Interview someone at XBox Live or other distribution channels, etc)
Figure out who you want to interview and when and contact them to see if they are interested. Tell them it will take 15 minutes of their time. Conduct them over the phone or via email questionnaires.
Seek Out Writers
Personally I think that getting people to volunteer to write articles is going to be tricky. You will most likely have better luck actively seeking people out to write on specific topics. Sit down and brainstorm on topics you would like to hear more about. You may even want to poll the community and ask them what kinds of articles they want to read.
Next, approach whoever is a good authority on the subject you are trying to get an article for. Tell them that people are really excited to hear more about 'x' and that you heard they were an expert in that area... etc.
Rely On Reviews
Reviews are a great idea. The biggest win with reviews is that you can do them on your own. This means you don't need to sell anyone to get it done... you just do it as much as you need to to get the job done. =)
One thing I would advice against is 'editorial reviews'. There are your standard reviews which use a set of guidelines (performance, graphics, etc) and then there are reviews which are sort of freeform rants or raves on whatever the author feels like talking about. You will get more respect if you establish guidelines.
Scheduling
List out all of your ideas for reviews, interviews, articles etc. This is the pool from which you are going to draw content from. Sort all the ideas down into individual issues. Approach people for contributions as early as possible. (If you know there is an article you would like to do in October, go ahead and contact people about it then contact them again in November to remind them.) Get them to sign off on helping before they have to actually do any work... then remind them of their commitments later. =)
Force of Will
One theme throughout all of this is "force of will". Essentially, nobody is going to make this zine happen for you. You have to make it happen every step of the way. Be clear not only for others but for yourself about what you want to accomplish every step of the way, make plans to achieve those goals, then execute your plans.
#15
Thanks for the post. There is some stuff there I did know but at the same time a bulk of it I knew but was in the back of my mind and your post brought it back to the front.
I've got a couple people so far that I think may be reliable article authors. I myself am going to do some but I mainly just know the coding side, so I'm trying to round up a good bit of authors that way I can have diverse articles each month. Reviews if nobody else can do it, I sure can. lol I had thought about making some set guidelines for reviews. I'm still trying throwing a few different ideas on them. I may come up with seperate guidelines for Games, Content Packs and Tools, since all have very different aspects.
I totally understand the force of will. I've got the determination to do this. I am though trying to make sure I get everything clear on what I'm doing. Thats why all these posts have been a little broad. I don't want to get totally concrete on what I want until I get some feedback. Plus all the stuff is jumbled up in my head in my own language pretty much, so I'm making sure I "translate" it all out for the world. I've got some goals, probably a little high, but that just means I'll have to keep working harder to make those goals happen.
Thanks once again Unk. This was one of the most informative posts I've gotten so far. (No offense to any posters :))
02/16/2006 (10:25 am)
@UnkThanks for the post. There is some stuff there I did know but at the same time a bulk of it I knew but was in the back of my mind and your post brought it back to the front.
I've got a couple people so far that I think may be reliable article authors. I myself am going to do some but I mainly just know the coding side, so I'm trying to round up a good bit of authors that way I can have diverse articles each month. Reviews if nobody else can do it, I sure can. lol I had thought about making some set guidelines for reviews. I'm still trying throwing a few different ideas on them. I may come up with seperate guidelines for Games, Content Packs and Tools, since all have very different aspects.
I totally understand the force of will. I've got the determination to do this. I am though trying to make sure I get everything clear on what I'm doing. Thats why all these posts have been a little broad. I don't want to get totally concrete on what I want until I get some feedback. Plus all the stuff is jumbled up in my head in my own language pretty much, so I'm making sure I "translate" it all out for the world. I've got some goals, probably a little high, but that just means I'll have to keep working harder to make those goals happen.
Thanks once again Unk. This was one of the most informative posts I've gotten so far. (No offense to any posters :))
#17
02/16/2006 (4:07 pm)
how about in2games as a name?
#18
02/16/2006 (9:29 pm)
I'll add that to the list fundemic. 
#19
02/20/2006 (10:27 pm)
Personally, I'd like to see someone do a good, semi-frequent podcast. One with a main focus on GarageGames, game development and industry topics.. I'm sorry but the "official" GarageGames podcast, which only released once.. seemed very cheesy to me (no offense to whoever made that). I often listen to podcasts while I work, or take them with me on my mp3 player. I'm not saying a mag is a bad idea though, it just seems like a lot more effort.
Torque Owner Travis Wood