The tragedy of GJ237b

You've probably already seen this, but in case you haven't (or in case you have but haven't clicked through to Lehman's and Belle's actual text), you should go and read "The Tragedy of GJ237b." Now. 

RPGs are a double art form. First there is the writing itself, the presentation of information in enlightening and surprising ways that hint at the ghosts hiding in the unlit corners of the text. In there best texts there is a kind of poetry of language. There is a lot of poetry in "The Tragedy of GJ237b."

Second, there is the construction of a system that reveals to us ways that the world and human interactions work. They create systems and shape human interactions that reveal to us truths about the world we live in in a way that no other art form can replicate. The best texts recognize this unique ability of the art form and harness that power. There is a lot of power in "The Tragedy of GJ237b."
Originally shared by Ben Lehman - 21 comments
So +Caitlynn Belle's and my game The Tragedy of GJ 237b was nominated for a Nebula award for short stories, but the nomination was rejected on the grounds that it is a game and not a short story.

This, in and of itself, is completely amazing. I've been trying to have a conversation about games-as-literature for a really long time, and getting to the point where a game I co-authored is being considered as literature -- even by just a few writers -- was, already, a huge win for me.

Then, one of the people who nominated it, Yoon Ha Lee (an extremely good SF writer -- you should absolutely read his novel Ninefox Gambit, it's fantastic) wrote about the experience, and why he thought it should count for a short story: https://yhlee.dreamwidth.org/2478387.html

This, also, was amazing in and of itself. To have a writer of that caliber talking about my work as literature was pretty extraordinary.

Then, early today, he decided to appeal to decision of the Nebula committee.

And this happened, just now: https://twitter.com/TheCozyVet/status/962172278388686848

So it looks like The Tragedy of GJ237b is actually qualified for first round nominations this year.

This is astonishing (I'm running out of adjectives here). Other game-like things have been nominated, mostly CYOA stories, but as far as I know this is the first time that a (sort of, kind of, maybe) role-playing game has been considered. I'm freaking thrilled.

To make the text more accessible, I posted it to Medium (with Caitie's permission of course): https://medium.com/@balehman/the-tragedy-of-gj237b-928cfeae460b

If you're an SFWA member, please consider nominating The Tragedy of GJ 237b in the short story category this year.
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