Jake here, hello hello! I’m not big on advertisements but part of curating this entire thing is that I get to show you things that I think are cool. Five out of Ten is something I think is cool, and I think some of you guys might like it too so hey, read this or look at the pretty pictures. Full disclosure is that I know a lot of people who have written in the mag, and me and Alan get on fairly well too, but that being said, see if this might interest you. 

Five out of Ten is a magazine for people who love videogames and want to read the best in independent writing. It was founded in 2012 to create a magazine that was original, inclusive, and fair to its writers. We split all of our earnings between our contributors, and we don’t display advertising or have corporate sponsors.

Our brand new tenth issue is called Heart. It features writing from Cameron Kunzelman, Christos Reid, Ed Smith, Kaitlin Tremblay, and Alan Williamson. As with all new issues, it’s currently available at the ‘Early Bird’ price of just £3.50 for a limited time. If you haven’t got your copy yet, click the cover for a free PDF preview!

Here’s a deeper look at what we’ve got in Issue 10:

Under the Radar: The Prussian military theorist Carl von Clausewitz called war “an area of uncertainty.” Cameron looks at how Metal Gear Solid is a game about seeing and being seen, from radar to Solid Snake meeting his match in Vulcan Raven.

Discovering Wor(l)ds: We should not abjure the potential of videogames to expand our lexical inventories. Kaitlin writes about her favourite words learned through games, and the titles that taught them – Final Fantasy, Resident Evil, Baldur’s Gate, and more.

Get Well: Videogames get us through the toughest of times: they allow us to escape, or they take us back to happier times. Alan reminisces on some of his favourites, like Sonic 3 and Knuckles and NiGHTS Into Dreams.

Freedom Fighters: Released six months after the invasion of Iraq, Freedom Fighters shows Americans what it’s like to be occupied and threatened. While it seems like a game for patriots, Ed shows it’s a clever inversion on the standard formula of military shooters.

Bundled Treasures: Meet the developers who are tackling piracy in a unique way: by releasing their games in the Pirate Bay Bundle. Christos speaks to the bundle’s organiser moshboy and examines how developers can prosper in an age of free information.

We’ve also got five outstanding pieces on the theme of Heart: games that move us in unexpected ways, some whose mechanics pump us around their worlds like blood, games that bring us together in friendship and solidarity.

Survivors: Lone Survivor offers a realistic and sobering take on mental illness within a survival horror game.

Digital Love: When was the last time a videogame gave you butterflies? How do games fail at portraying love, and how can they succeed?

The Heart of a World: Games like Skyrim and Exile: Escape from the Pit have beating hearts of questing, action and activity that push players around their worlds.

Just Passing: StreetPass is a unique way for players to meet, build communities and friendships. We visit a Pokémon tournament to meet one such group.

Drift Compatible: The women of Fire Emblem: Awakening are not just powerful in battle, but form deep and meaningful friendships with each other.

Heart is the best issue of Five out of Ten yet. Don’t miss out! Get it from http://fiveoutoftenmagazine.com.