That’s My Jam: Understanding the Value of Quick Game Prototyping

“That’s My Jam: Understanding the Value of Quick Game Prototyping” will study how emerging game developers use game jams as a springboard for their professional practice. Our primary research question is: what challenges do game jammers face when transforming prototype games into commercial products, ad-hoc groups into indie development teams, and compact jam timelines into extended development cycles? Recognising the power of the game jams as a production tool, we will also investigate how established game studios have adopted their core tenets—experimentation, rapid prototyping, and even failure—into their creative processes.

This research will be rooted in interviews and surveys with experienced game jam facilitators, game jam participants who have transitioned to commercial production, and game developers who have integrated jam-like workflows into their studios. The output of this project will be an illustrated white paper that synthesises our research findings and scrutinises the industry implications of game jams—how they serve as sites of training, networking, and prototyping for early-career developers. Additionally, the paper will provide advice and resources for jam participants who wish to transition their projects into commercial contexts.

Faculty Supervisor:

Mia Consalvo

Student:

Partner:

Game Arts International Network

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Arts, entertainment and recreation

University:

Concordia University

Program: