Casual Game Insider is a popular magazine in the United States that specializes in board games. They feature a wide range of content, from reviews of new games to interviews with game designers and industry insiders. As a board game enthusiast, I'm always enjoyed reading the magazine and keeping up with the latest news and trends in the hobby. One day, I decided that I want to contribute to the magazine by writing an article of my own. I don't need to spend weeks brainstorming ideas for the article, because I had what to say. At that time there was an active phase of the insidious war, which Russia started by attacking Ukraine. So, I started to work on the "Gaming in War" article...
I learned a lot about the writing process along the way. I discovered that writing for a publication is very different from writing for myself (like this blog) and that there are a lot of steps involved in getting an article from idea to print. I also learn the importance of having a clear and concise message, and of presenting my ideas in an engaging and informative way. Once I wrote a rough draft of my article, I reached out to Casual Game Insider to pitch my idea. I was really nervous and excited at the same time, and I anxiously wait for a response. But at the same time, I understood that history is created exactly at this moment. This is a documentation of nowadays, and history will someday be studied from memories and articles like these. To my delight, the editors at Casual Game Insider loved my idea and gives me the green light to proceed with the article. Over the next few months, I worked closely with the heroes from my article (by the way famous Ukrainian game designers like Oleksandr Nevskiy or Alex Ushan) and the editors, revising and refining my article until it was ready for publication. It was my first time writing so big article in English (not including the book that I can't seem to finish) as well, which added an extra layer of challenge to the process. But I'm proud to say that my little article grew into one of the main features of the issue. When it was published I received hundreds of comments, e-mails, likes, and reposts on social media and it was great. One, of the most commented pages on the magazine web page, is exactly this issue. You may read some of that comments:
Nice there is an article about Ukraine and its board game community! Russia is a terrorist state!
The Ukraine article really hits home.
I really appreciate the "Gaming in War" article, highlighting the conflict in Ukraine. It has always fascinated me: the ways in which we use gaming as a way to escape, cope, and process. Thanks!
The article on the war's impact on the gaming community in Ukraine seems interesting. Can't wait until my copy shows up to read it.
Writing this article has inspired me to continue writing this blog, and working on a game that spreads awareness about the harsh realities of war. I'm grateful for the opportunity and thankful to the team at "Casual Game Insider" for their guidance and support throughout the process. For those interested in getting a copy of the magazine, it's available in both electronic and print formats.
