Chris said that we should discuss this at some point, so I'm making it a sticky.

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1. Push is about real people roleplaying.

This is the core of what we’re about: making ourselves transparent to readers, making examples of our own experiences, and reflecting on those experiences in a way that is helpful to others. If you’re doing that, you’re 75% of the way there. This is about you and your experiences with roleplaying. Context, baby. Look inward.

2. Push is progressive and prophetic.

The special mission of this journal is to keep up with the cutting edge, continue to push the envelope, and to be a lighthouse towards the future. We don’t show the whole picture of things to come, but try to illuminate certain pieces of it. This is not to say that this is an avant-garde journal. We’re interested in grounded, sustainable progress, not shots in the dark. Look forward.

3. Push is interdisciplinary and ecumenical.

There is no such thing as “roleplaying studies,” so, like all roleplayers and theorists before us, we have to continually work on the edges of traditional disciplines (anthro, drama, sociology, literature, art theory, psychology, and more), trying to craft a perspective from which to view this young medium. Remember that there’s been a ton of related work done by very smart people and 30 years of roleplaying thought to draw from. Look backward.

4. Push is comparative and international.

Additionally, roleplaying can benefit greatly from being informed by contemporary work in other areas, including related emerging artforms, more traditional forms of entertainment and expression, and the established academic disciplines. Also, it is increasingly important to look beyond the Anglo-American mainstream to get a full picture of where roleplaying is headed. Look sideways.

5. Push is accessible and empowering.

This is a journal for any person who wants to reflect on their roleplaying experiences and try to enact change, either to make future experiences better or just make them different. This is a journal for people who want to know what’s possible and how the possible can be realized. This is for them. Look outward.