Gender aspects of !Game Jams culture!

Jammin’ for Change

Ievgeniia Prytula V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University

GAMERS

52% 48%

Women Men

DEVELOPERS

30%

70%

Men Women

Game Jams as a social project

• Open discussion on gender in games in media; • popularize gender equality; • encourage women to work in game industry.

Method: • content analysis; • interview; • case studies

–Dr. Kimberley Voll

“We organize game jams to bring people together and make a difference in the world! I believe that game jams give us a voice, a chance to come together as

a community around a shared cause and dedicate a weekend to building something we truly believe in.”

Indie communities Game Jams

theme restriction/requirements

GAME JAMS TOUCH ON GENDER

media-based originalgender

•iamgamer Game Jam: July 2013. 85 games, 32 publications;

•Women are Too Hard to Animate Jam: June - July 2014. 25 games, 8 publications;

•Boob Jam: August - September 2013. 17 games, 21 publications.

Media-based Jams

Original

Super Love Jam: a Game Jam about Gender, Sexual Identity & Relationships: June 2014. 6 games, 4

publications.

restriction/requirements

!!!

• The XX Game Jam October 2012, there was 40 participants, who created 5 games, and 17 publications. !

• Toronto’s Feb Fatale game jams. There was three such event already since 2013.

Game Jams can be a powerful instrument to open discussion in media, way to involve players in certain social discourse and make a real change in industry.

Thanks! prytula.ie@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/ievgeniia.prytula