About the Journal

Scope and Focus
This journal covers the full spectrum of game design: core mechanics, systems thinking, rule complexity, player psychology, UI/UX, emergent play, monetization ethics, accessibility, storytelling engines, and everything in between. If it shapes how games are built, played, or understood, we are interested. We welcome both formal academic research and studio-tested insights, whether you are using Unity, paper prototypes, custom engines, or theory alone.

Open Access Policy
All content is published under a CC BY license and is free to read, cite, remix, and share. No locked archives; no gatekeeping. Knowledge is for everyone, especially in a field where ideas move fast and innovation often comes from outside traditional institutions.

Editorial and Review Process
Submissions are double-blind peer reviewed by a mix of scholars and seasoned practitioners. We value clarity over jargon and substance over polish. Expect rigorous feedback with the goal of improving, not gatekeeping your work. Most editorial decisions are made within 6 to 8 weeks.

Copyright and Licensing
Authors retain full copyright. We publish under a Creative Commons Attribution license, which means your work remains yours and others can build on it with credit.

Article Processing Charges
There are no submission fees. If your article is accepted, a small processing fee helps us maintain the platform, issue DOIs, and support long-term hosting. We offer waivers to authors who need them. Money should never be the barrier to sharing strong work.

DOI Assignment and Indexing
Each published article is assigned a DOI and becomes part of SERN’s indexing ecosystem. We are committed to increasing visibility across academic databases, archives, and relevant repositories in games research and media studies.

Sponsorship and Platform
This journal is hosted and supported by SERN. We do not accept advertising or external sponsorship. Editorial independence is non-negotiable.

Privacy Statement
All data collected during submission and review is used solely for editorial and publication purposes. We do not sell, share, or mine user data ever.

Mission and Values
Game design is more than a craft; it is a discipline, a lens, and a language. Our mission is to support critical, creative, and technical work that takes games seriously not as products to be marketed, but as systems to be explored. We publish work that experiments, questions, refines, and expands what games are and can be. Whether you are studying tabletop RPG mechanics, procedural narrative, or mobile puzzle loops we want to hear from you.