Calling all creators! Difference Engine invites you to submit pitches for our upcoming anthology Free to Play, which will be published in 2026. Spearheaded by a dynamic team of avid gamers and multidisciplinary writers — Adan Jimenez, Daryl Lim Wei Jie, Joses Ho, and Natalie Wang — this print publication spanning fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, comics, visual art pieces, and multimedia works will be an exciting collection that celebrates games, gaming, and play.
Free to Play will also feature guest contributions by invited writers and artists who have a strong interest in gaming as culture and storytelling. Submit your pitch and potentially get your piece featured alongside theirs!
We’re looking for pieces that:
- Celebrate video games and the culture around them
- Offer critical or reflective perspectives on games and gaming culture
- Employ gaming approaches in the process of their creation, or
- Surprise us with a fresh take on video games and gameplay
Submissions should be:
- Previously unpublished original works of any genre
- Written in the English language, or translated into the English language
Submissions may be in any of the following mediums:
- Fiction
- Creative non-fiction
- Poetry
- Comics
- Multimedia work (comprising both print and digital elements)
Click the links to find the respective submission guidelines for each medium.
We are not accepting:
- Submissions that are fanfiction. Submissions must be able to stand alone as a piece of original work without relying on existing video games as the only world or setting in which your story takes place. (e.g. we will accept pitches for stories about people playing Horizon Zero Dawn but not for a story set in Horizon Zero Dawn).
- Pitches for works that are about tabletop RPGs (TTRPG), since this anthology is focused on video games. With that being said, there are many video games based on TTRPGs, so if your submission is about the video game element/adaptation of the TTRPG, it would still be eligible.
Who can contribute?
- Contributors from all over the world are welcome. Being from Southeast Asia ourselves, we’d especially love to hear from our fellow gamers and gaming enthusiasts in the region!
- Contributors must be aged 18 and above upon submission.
Works selected for publication will receive the following rates:
- Prose (Fiction and creative non-fiction): US$0.07/word
- Poetry: US$50.00/piece
- Comics: US$25.00/page
- Multimedia work: US$200.00/work
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
All submissions:
- Submissions will be open from 14 February 2025 to 31 March 2025, 11.59pm GMT +8.
- All submissions should be typed in Arial, font size 11.
- All submissions must be in soft copy. Difference Engine will not accept any hard copy submissions.
Fiction submissions must include:
- A completed prose story of 1000–5000 words (with preference for pieces that are of 2000–3000 words)
- A short biography of the author/s (50–150 words).
- A completed and signed entry form.
- All of the above needs to be compiled into a single .DOC file no more than 10MB in size.
- Label the .DOC file with the title of the story.
- Email the file to submissions@differenceengine.sg with the subject header “Free To Play Fiction Submission: [title of the work]”.
- Fiction submissions selected through this open call will be eligible for eventual publication in the anthology. Author/s will go through a process of feedback and revisions with the editors.
Creative non-fiction submissions must include:
- A one-page pitch, single-spaced, for the proposed work of 1000–5000 words (with preference for works that are of 2000–3000 words). The pitch should include the author/s’ interest in the topic, relevant qualifications (including lived experience), and research done or planned.
- A short biography of the author/s (50–150 words).
- A completed and signed entry form.
- All of the above needs to be compiled into a single .DOC file no more than 10MB in size.
- Label the .DOC file with the title of the story.
- Email the file to submissions@differenceengine.sg with the subject header “Free To Play Non-fiction Submission: [title of the work]”.
- Creative non-fiction pitches selected through this open call will be eligible for eventual publication in the anthology. Author/s will go through a process of development, feedback, and revisions with the editors.
Poetry submissions must include:
- A maximum of 3 completed poems per submission, not exceeding 5 pages in total.
- A short biography of the poet/s (50–150 words).
- A completed and signed entry form.
- All of the above needs to be compiled into a single .DOC file no more than 10MB.
- Label the .DOC file with the title of the work(s).
- Email the file to submissions@differenceengine.sg with the subject header “Free To Play Poetry Submission: [title of the work]”.
- Poetry submissions selected through this open call will be eligible for eventual publication in the anthology. Poet/s will go through a process of feedback and revisions with the editors.
Fiction comics submissions must include:
- A full comic script with page, panel, and dialogue instructions for a 5–10 page work.
- One to two pages of concept sketches showing characters and setting.
- A portfolio sample of previous illustrations or comics work.
- A short biography of the creator(s) (50–150 words).
- A completed and signed entry form.
- All of the above needs to be compiled into a single PDF file no more than 10MB.
- Label the PDF file with the title of the story.
- Email the file to submissions@differenceengine.sg with the subject header “Free To Play Comics Submission: [title of the work]”.
- Fiction comics submissions selected through this open call will be shortlisted for eventual publication in the anthology. Creator/s will go through a process of comic development with the editors, after which there will be a second round of selection.
- Submissions that make it through the second round of selection will be eligible for eventual publication in the anthology. These creator/s will go through a process of feedback and revisions with the editors.
Non-fiction comics submissions must include:
- A one-page pitch, single-spaced, for the proposed work of between 5–10 comic pages. The pitch should include interest in the topic, relevant qualifications (including lived experience), and research done or planned.
- One to two pages of concept sketches showing characters and setting.
- A portfolio sample of previous illustrations, or comics work.
- A short biography of the creator/s (50–150 words).
- A completed and signed entry form.
- All of the above needs to be compiled into a single PDF file no more than 10MB.
- Label the PDF file with the title of the story.
- Email the file to submissions@differenceengine.sg with the subject header “Free To Play Comics Submission: [title of the work]”.
- Non-fiction comics submissions selected through this open call will be shortlisted for eventual publication in the anthology. Creator/s will go through a process of comic development with the editors, after which there will be a second round of selection.
- Submissions that make it through the second round of selection will be eligible for eventual publication in the anthology. These creator/s will go through a process of feedback and revisions with the editors.
Multimedia submissions must include:
We are open to all proposals involving multimedia elements. For example, you could submit a poem or short story that embeds an interactive web element that can be separately accessed and which builds on the print version. We’re excited to find out how creative folks will get! Technical requirements such as web hosting and coding should be included in the pitch.
- A one-page pitch, single-spaced, that should include a description of the piece, the reasoning behind it, the creator/s’ interest in the topic, relevant qualifications (including lived experience), and research done or planned for the submission.
- Multimedia submissions that include a digital component must also be accompanied by a printable textual or visual component that can be published within the physical book (i.e. your submission cannot consist of only digital material). This printable component should function as an essential part of the creative piece (i.e not just peripheral or bonus content).
- A portfolio sample of previous multimedia projects, if available.
- A short biography of the creator/s (50–150 words).
- A completed and signed entry form.
- All of the above needs to be compiled into a single .DOC file no more than 10MB.
- Label the .DOC file with the title of the story.
- Email the file to submissions@differenceengine.sg with the subject header “Free To Play Multimedia Submission: [title of the work]”.
- Multimedia submissions selected through this open call will be eligible for eventual publication in the anthology. Creator/s will go through a process of feedback and revisions with the editors.
Important things to note:
- The deadline for Round 1 (Call for Submissions) is 31 March 2025, 11.59pm GMT +8.
- Final creators/creative teams creators will be informed by 2 May 2025 if their submission has been selected.
- Difference Engine and the Editors reserve the right to ask for clarification from creators/creative teams before making their decision.
- For submissions in the form of pitches, if selected, the Editors will work closely with the creator/s on fully developing the piece. Creator/s will be expected to adhere to the timelines and schedules set by the publisher.
- For more details, read our rules and regulations at the bottom of this webpage, or download the PDF (they’re the same!).