#38 GAMES

By
Image is a hand drawn illustration on a grey-blue background. The illustration features bold lines and colours—its style evokes elements of tarot, linocut, and medieval folk art. An animalistic figure appears in the foreground. It’s drawn in side profile, with a pointed face and sharp teeth, almost crocodile-like. The figure is wearing a bright yellow crown, with flowing blonde hair cascading down its back. It’s clothed in a high-necked garment with an intricate pattern: coloured in shades of red, black, and yellow. The figure’s head is raised slightly, one large blue eye open and staring. Two red arrows appear above its head and below its chin. There’s a regal, almost intimidating atmosphere.

From insidious dynamics to digital dreamscapes, the stakes are high: #38 GAMES isn’t playtime. 

Cover artist Maggie Johnson plays her cards right, predicting an issue with its teeth out. In poetry, Alexander Bennetts dual-wields tricksy wordplay and multi-level oblivion, Jason Gray smacks a killer serve at schoolyard racism, Mia Artemis paints sobriety as a sly opponent, and Bronte Heron collects memories—hula-hoops that keep on spinning. Alison Evans’ fiction proves that playground pranks can pay off, while Chelinay Gates refuses to grab a scorpion (though the other bush kids sure did). Madeleine Karutz provides a legacy collection of colonial games in her comic. For non-fiction, Georgina Maxine crafts a crossword of private mythology, and AJ Carruthers takes on the final boss: class division.