Game jams are short, intensive events where designers, developers, artists and enthusiasts come together to create working games in just a few days. They are playful hackathons: a theme is announced at the start, and teams design, build and test their games right on the spot, often in public locations.
Over the years I have organised many game jams to explore how games can motivate people to move, connect and change behaviour. These jams focus on making prototypes, but their main benefit is the cooperation, co-creation with end-users and the direct evaluation in real-life environments.
Examples
EduMais Summer Game Jam – Brazil
In Rio de Janeiro’s favelas we worked with the NGO EduMais to run a summer game jam for teenagers from the local community. We trained them to design and code their own games, and we trained the trainers. The programme still continues today, now fully run by EduMais without our support.
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Games [4Health] Jam 2013 – Sink or Swim!
Together with colleagues from Fontys I organised the 3rd Games [4Health] Jam; the theme was “Sink or Swim!”. Forty participants designed and built working games inside a swimming pool within 50 hours. Design sessions and play-testing happened right in the water – with all the expected (and unexpected) challenges. It was a fun, inspiring weekend that produced several playable prototypes.
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Games [4Health] Jam 2012 – Public Play
Together with Menno Deen, Janienke Sturm and Luuk Waarbroek I organised the 2nd Games [4Health] Jam with the theme “Public Play”. Seventy students created working games in 50 hours that encouraged people to be active in public spaces. The results were later shown at the Dutch Design Week (Stadhuis exhibition), the Games for Health Europe conference and Games in the City.
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Credits
These game jams were organised with Fontys School of ICT, Games for Health, EduMais and many enthusiastic students, designers, patients and community members.
