A 12-hour game jam at Abertay University this weekend (26-27 July) will challenge game developers to reinterpret one of the simplest elements of gaming – the jump.
Jump Jam is the fourth and final event in the Development Cultures workshop series run by the university’s Game Lab research unit, which provides a platform for experimental game development, cross-company collaboration and knowledge exchange.
Previous events included a day-long ‘jam’ where the developers had to build new games and new controllers using buttons, switches and cardboard boxes, and an evening seminar that explored the role of story in creating game ideas and how these are interpreted by players.
Dr Dayna Galloway, Game Design Lecturer at Abertay University, said: “The jump is a fundamental game mechanic which we see used from the earliest games to modern multi-million pound blockbusters.
“At our Development Cultures workshops we’ve been challenging game developers to think about all the tools they have at their disposal to make exciting, thoughtful or inspiring new forms of gameplay.
“This might be how they use story and characters, building brand new controllers just for a single game, or reinterpreting ideas we all take for granted.
“Jumping is a great example of this – it’s an ingrained part of gaming culture, and so it’s easily overlooked as something that can be used creatively. This could be playing with gravity or taking the idea as a metaphor for huge, life-changing decisions.
“I’m expecting some brilliant and surprising games to emerge this weekend.”
The Development Cultures series has benefited from the generous time commitment of game studios Guerilla Tea, Hidden Armada, Lucky Frame, Pixel Blimp, Quartic Llama, Space Budgie, Team Junkfish and The Secret Experiment, independent developers Michael Brough, Niall Moody and Sophia George, and researchers from Abertay’s School of Arts, Media and Computer Games.
The jam starts at 9.30am on Saturday 26 July for nine hours, with three hours of final development on Sunday morning. The final games will be presented at 1pm on Sunday.
Follow the jam on Twitter at @AbertayGameLab and with the hashtag #AGLjam
A 12-hour game jam at Abertay University this weekend (26-27 July) will challenge game developers to reinterpret one of the simplest elements of gaming – the jump.
Jump Jam is the fourth and final event in the Development Cultures workshop series run by the university’s Game Lab research unit, which provides a platform for experimental game development, cross-company collaboration and knowledge exchange.
Previous events included a day-long ‘jam’ where the developers had to build new games and new controllers using buttons, switches and cardboard boxes, and an evening seminar that explored the role of story in creating game ideas and how these are interpreted by players.
Dr Dayna Galloway, Game Design Lecturer at Abertay University, said: “The jump is a fundamental game mechanic which we see used from the earliest games to modern multi-million pound blockbusters.
“At our Development Cultures workshops we’ve been challenging game developers to think about all the tools they have at their disposal to make exciting, thoughtful or inspiring new forms of gameplay.
“This might be how they use story and characters, building brand new controllers just for a single game, or reinterpreting ideas we all take for granted.
“Jumping is a great example of this – it’s an ingrained part of gaming culture, and so it’s easily overlooked as something that can be used creatively. This could be playing with gravity or taking the idea as a metaphor for huge, life-changing decisions.
“I’m expecting some brilliant and surprising games to emerge this weekend.”
The Development Cultures series has benefited from the generous time commitment of game studios Guerilla Tea, Hidden Armada, Lucky Frame, Pixel Blimp, Quartic Llama, Space Budgie, Team Junkfish and The Secret Experiment, independent developers Michael Brough, Niall Moody and Sophia George, and researchers from Abertay’s School of Arts, Media and Computer Games.
The jam starts at 9.30am on Saturday 26 July for nine hours, with three hours of final development on Sunday morning. The final games will be presented at 1pm on Sunday.
Follow the jam on Twitter at @AbertayGameLab and with the hashtag #AGLjam
