Communication Beyond Languages Realized by International Game Jams

This paper presents and evaluates the first international game jam held at Ritsumeikan University, Shiga, Japan, in collaboration with the Rochester Institute of Technology, New York, USA. Game jams are events that bring together people with a common love of games to plan, design, and make original, functional physical or computer games within a set time limit. The number of jams has increased rapidly year after year since their conception, with over 48,000 people participating in the latest version of the Global Game Jam [6]. The RU-RIT game jam had several goals. For the committee the main goals were to introduce the concept of a game jam, and pass on the knowledge of how to successfully plan and execute these events to the host institution, Ritsumeikan University. For the participants the goals were (1) to enjoy a fun and playful way to create games in a low-anxiety, mixed language environment, (2) to give the participants the opportunity to make contacts from around the globe, and (3) to learn new skills both related specifically to making games and other practical skills. This paper will further discusses the importance of group making in international game jam situations and aims to provide the reader with a blueprint describing how to create and administer their own international game jam. The paper will conclude by highlighting some of the issues encountered during the game jam.