A theoretical framework for game jams in applied contexts

Reid, Andrew J.; Smy, Phillip; Donald, Iain

Abstract

Game jams encourage participants to define, explore, create, and disseminate games with respect to a pre-defined time-period and under specified constraints. Various methods and approaches have helped with establishing conventions, rules, and processes, and culture surrounding game jams, with practical guides for participants (Kaitila 2012) and organisers (Cornish et al. 2017) available. The popularity of game jams has resulted in an increased demand for game jams that explore a range of different topics, issues, and objectives through game development (Eberhardt 2016; Pirker et al. 2016). Stakeholders interested in 'applied game jams' have utilized traditional game jam formats to explore game development across various contexts, including health and wellbeing (Preston, 2014), community engagement (Decker et al. 2015), and social development (Myers et al. 2019). There is a perceived gap to establish a universal method with which to design, execute, and evaluate applied game jams against intentional outcomes.

Citation

Reid, A. J., Smy, P., & Donald, I. (2020, June). A theoretical framework for game jams in applied contexts. Presented at DiGRA 2020 : Play everywhere

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (published)
• Conference Name: DiGRA 2020 : Play everywhere
• Start Date: Jun 2, 2020
• End Date: Jun 6, 2020
• Publication Date: 2020-02
• Deposit Date: Mar 29, 2023
• Series Title: DiGRA conference proceedings
• Book Title: DiGRA '20
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/3060731
• Publisher URL: https://digra2020.org/