Welcome to Issue 02 of Level Up Journal — my cozy, personal zine about games.

This issue is titled Permission.exe, and it grew out of a question I couldn’t stop circling: Why does play sometimes feel like something I have to earn?

Inside, you’ll find a deep dive on permission and rest, reflections on the games I’ve been living in lately (Dragon Quest XI S and Animal Crossing), my version of a game “review” in the form of a letter to Donkey Kong Bananza, and a collage of delightfully out-of-context Dragon Quest quotes. At the end, there’s Co-op Mode, where I invite you to reflect on your own relationship with gaming time.

Making this issue took a little longer than the first. I had to remind myself…again…that this zine isn’t about polish or productivity. It’s about play. About following curiosity. About letting things be a little messy and human.

You don’t need to read this in any particular way. Maybe you flip through it. Maybe you sit with it slowly. Maybe you just skim and move on. However you arrive here is enough.

I’m really glad you’re here. 💛

If you don’t see the flipbook below, use the direct link: Open the zine in a new tab.