We are always looking for people that would like to contribute to Interactive Pasts and particularly are eager to support people who do not (yet) have their own platform or other means of publishing pieces at the intersection of games and the past. In addition, we always are on the lookout for news items that we could feature in our bulletin.

If you want to contribute, you can contact us through: editor[at]interactivepasts.com

What are we looking for?

  • News tips (item for the Bulletin): have any tips for things to put in our weekly Bulletin? Send them on!
  • News items (Stratigraph): are you interested in writing a short news piece about something relevant and recent at the intersection of games and the past, send us a 750 word max piece.
  • Reviews (Games We Dig): played a game you would like to write a review for us? Contact us with the name of the game and a very brief (1-2 sentences) synopsis about your take on the game. Reviews normally are between 750-1000 words and can feature new as well as older games.
  • Features (In Depth): want to have a thematic or otherwise more in-depth look at something at the intersection of the past and games, contact us with a one-paragraph pitch. These features normally run between 1000-2000 words.

Pilot Project: paid features

The VALUE Foundation, the organization behind Interactive Pasts, has started a pilot project in which we look to acquire In Depth features for which the authors will be paid a €50,-  compensation fee. See a short description of what an In Depth feature is above and read more details on the process below!

Who:

Anyone with a good idea for an in depth piece at the intersection of games and the past. We are particularly looking to acquire features from a diverse group of people for which financial compensation as well as the availability of The Interactive Past platform would be welcome and of support for their work and interests.

What:

An In Depth text-based post, supported by additional multi-media, such as images or linked videos on any topic at the intersection of games and the past. This will be published on the Interactive Pasts website under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.

When:

This pilot project will be available for 6 features, of which we are looking to run one a month. The first available slot is September 2020.

How:

Please send an email to editor@interactivepasts.com containing:

  • Your real name
  • Affiliation (independents are more than welcome to apply!)
  • A max. 100 word bio
  • A one-paragraph pitch
  • For which month you are aiming to produce a feature

Process:

When you send in a pitch, the editorial team will evaluate whether it is suitable for publication. This depends on the feature-idea itself, but we will also be looking to acquire pieces from a diverse group of people.

If your pitch is accepted, we will invite you to a channel in our Slack workspace where you will be able to work directly together with the editors in getting your piece online. Our editorial support includes feedback contents as well as some degree of language checking and assistance with the WordPress publication process on our website.

After the piece has been published, we will transfer the fee of €50,- to you.

Disclaimer:

We understand that €50,- is not a high enough compensation for professional writers. This compensation is not meant to cover the amount of hours that go into the production of such a piece or be equivalent to fees paid by professional content websites. Rather, it should be seen as an additional incentive as well as a small sign of support for people writing about the past and games in a non-professional capacity.

While we would be interested in an ongoing and higher level of content production and compensation, the VALUE Foundation is a volunteer-run, non-profit that neither has the means nor the intention to compete with professional content production platforms.