Peter Ray Allison

30/08/2024

Pleased to announce that I will be one of the panel hosts for this year's Edge-Lit in Derby.

21/08/2024

Ten years ago today I began writing full-time.

It has been a fantastic decade, which has seen my career go in directions I never expected. I have written for the BBC, The Guardian and The Independent, as well as Computer Weekly, The Daily Beast, SFX magazine and many others. I wrote a chapter on the psychological benefits of roleplaying games for an academic journal.

I also expanded into public speaking, hosting panels and interviews at a variety of corporate and fan events, as well as appearing on BBC radio several times.

It has definitely never been boring. I have taken part in a cosplay competition, been given a personal tour of a fusion research centre and run Dungeons & Dragons in a castle.

I have met some amazing people, including Professor Freeman Dyson, Lee Majors and Gigi Edgley. I have also had a beer with Huey Morgan, interviewed a Jedi and discussed spanking with Patricia Tallman.

Meanwhile, the Home Office asked some awkward questions about me, after they really didn’t like my article about the Investigatory Powers Act (aka the Snoopers’ Charter).

Let's see where the next ten years take me.

20/08/2024

Ten years ago today I left my part-time job as a design engineer to become a freelance writer...

13/06/2024

Gen V is not a subtle show, but amongst the blood and body fluids, it portrayed an accurate representation of transgender identity.


https://www.geek-pride.co.uk/how-gen-v-gave-us-a-faithful-representation-of-transgender-identity/

14/04/2024

Twelve years ago today I attended a talk by Mark Chadbourn at Alt.Fiction about the business of writing.

Two years later, I became a full-time freelance writer, being commissioned by the BBC and had just learned that over a million people had read my article about the D&D Satanic Panic.

Never doubt the importance of going to events and meeting people.

Were it not for going to Alt.Fiction that day and hearing what Mark had to say, it would be fair to say that I would not be doing what I love.

19/03/2024

So this happened at this year's Sci-Fi Weekender.

Following a screening of Doomsday, I interviewed the director Neil Mars. We had a great chat about starting out in film-making, his approach to directing and his influences from growing up in Newcastle.

20/02/2024

My latest article is online with The Daily Beast - this time looking into how video games can be exploited for propaganda and disinformation.

They’re played by tens of millions of people all over the world—but what happens when this medium is co-opted by political and terrorist movements?

04/01/2024

2023 was a pretty good year for me. It witnessed several firsts for me, including my first peer-reviewed essay published in an academic journal, writing for the UK Games Expo and interviewing the head of the Defence and Security Media Advisory committee.

The past twelve months witnessed a lot of firsts for me, including my first peer-reviewed essay published in an academic journal and writing for the UK Games Expo.

18/10/2023

I had fun chatting with BBC News about how the themes and story of continue to be relevant.

As I explained to the journalist, even when you take away the fantastic effects, amazing choreography and tight direction, you still have a great story.

The 1999 blockbuster is reimagined as a live show directed by Danny Boyle in a new Manchester venue.

20/07/2023

I was recently invited to interview the head of the Defense and Security Media Advisory committee (AKA the D-Notice committee) about the role of the media in protecting national security

It was a wide-ranging discussion, where I was given free rein to ask whatever I wanted. As someone who supports the freedom of the press and a free internet, this was too good an opportunity to miss.

In a world of information-sharing and 24-hour news cycles, the Defence and Security Media Advisory committee have to balance national security with freedom of the press. Peter Ray Allison meets committee secretary Geoffrey Dodds to discuss his work

24/05/2023

Preparing for my trip to Manchester tomorrow to meet up with Matt and celebrate geek pride day at Format.

18/05/2023

My latest article, about roleplaying games as a tool for therapy, is online with whynow.

RPGs are about more than storytelling; they can also have mental health benefits and can be a powerful tool in therapy.