On Friday the 29th of July shooting website GunsOnPegs celebrated the launch of its new open publishing platform, The Game Card, by welcoming writers and content creators from across the shooting community – both established and those starting out – for Bloody Marys and venison breakfast buns.

The Game Card, a magazine app with a difference, was launched to GunsOnPegs users earlier in the year, has enjoyed significant growth, said Managing Director Chris Horne, who went on to explain that the most exciting outcome from the first few months has been the sky-high engagement rates, with users returning to the app time and again.

Horne explained to the invited audience of magazine editors, journalists, film makers and would-be fieldsports writers that the app, which is free to download and is available for both Android and iOS devices, is:

…an open publishing platform for the fieldsports community where anyone can tell their story, share their thinking and join the conversation, whether they are an experienced writer or not. This means that anyone can write an article and publish it on The Game Card.

He went on to explain that the app’s Freemium model, which will be launched later this year, will allow creators to earn money based on the engagement (reads, ‘claps’ and comments) with their content by upgraded app users.

George Browne, the editor of the The Game Card, explained the editorial ethos, saying:

The best way to understand The Game Card is in light of its roots: GunsOnPegs. GunsOnPegs’ aim since the beginning has been to open up the world of shooting to the widest possible audience, removing barriers to entry. The same is true of the Game Card. 

I know from personal experience that as an aspiring journalist in any field, getting a foot in the door can be the biggest hurdle to overcome. If you’re a budding writer and are looking to publish your first story, The Game Card is the place for you.

The world of shooting, stalking and fishing is full of great storytellers and quiet experts – we all know that one person on the gunbus or in the fishing hut whose tales have us in stitches or captivate us after dinner. We want to unearth those people, and help them to find their voice and an audience.

For more established creators, you’ll have the space to explore topics in depth in the form of long-reads, conversely, you can dash off a couple of hundred words in a ‘hot take’ when a big story breaks. Perhaps you’ll opt to publish a regular blog or column. I look forward to seeing how you decide to use the app.

The Game Card should be a great leveller – we recently published a wildfowling story by the 12 year old Harry Brownlow. His article sits in the app alongside pieces by celebrity chefs, professional fishing guides, leading fieldsports photographers and respected journalists.

To download The Game Card, click here. If you are interested in learning more about the Game Card, including contributing, advertising or marketing opportunities within the app, please email [email protected]