adaptability of the global game jam: a case study in japan

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Adaptability of the Global Game JamA Case Study in Japan

Shinji R. Yamane

IGDA Japan / Aoyama Gakuin Univ.

FDG2013, GGJ Workshop

S. Yamane (IGDA.jp) Adaptability of GGJ 2013 1 / 26

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Contents

...1 Introduction

...2 GGJ: Deign Theory and Strategy

...3 Case Study in Japan

...4 Future of Game Jam approach

...5 Rise of Mega–region Game Jam

...6 After the Jam

...7 Summary


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Introduction

Phaistos Disk: The oldest movable type


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Introduction

Innovation and Social condition

Gutenberg Revolution

Innovation requires the culturall condition

The Global Game Jam require any social condition?

What is the Global Game Jam?

Take a look at the recognition and design of GGJ.


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GGJ: Deign Theory and Strategy

Recognizing what is /isn’t Game Jam

“jam session” by game developers

short–period team development

death march myth: each roles has own cycle

not a contest, not for a win

everybody is welcome

not beginners but professionals also can learn

download freely, public/peer review, version–up

Understanding characteristic is not so easy.


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Why can we recognize Game Jam?

Game Jam

New ProductDevelopment

Aesthetics &Technology

Product-ValueFocused

RapidExperiencePrototyping

ParticipatoryDesign

Multidisciplinarity

ConcurrentDevelopment

LightweightConstruction

Game Jam elements outlined by Musil(2010)S. Yamane (IGDA.jp) Adaptability of GGJ 2013 6 / 26

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What we experienced in Global Game Jam

Game Jam

jammer

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!

Local organizers and jammers are not familier for someelements.


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GGJ organizers’ challenge

Game Jam

jammerjamdesigner

design

Local organizer can emphasize some unfamilierelements to jammers.

Designing jam sites by achievements and challenges.


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Case Study in Japan

IGDA Japan and Global Game Jam

IGDA Japan promoting GGJ by:

Following GGJ since January 2010

translating GGJ keynote videos,

supporting GGJ organizers in Japanese,

promoting GGJ to the academia in Japanese orEnglish,

providing live talk streaming, open play party, etc.


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Case Study in Japan

Encounter to game jams in Japan


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Case Study in Japan

Encounter to game jams in Japan

Before the Global Game Jam, nobody knows aboutIndie Game Jam, Nordic Game Jam.

Indies and Universities joined experimentally

Translating keynotes with backgrounds was helpfulfor reflection.IGDA Newsletter (Game education issue, August2010) was useful.

GGJ2010 reportGame Prototyping CurriculumIGDA Curriculum Framework


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Case Study in Japan

What Succeeded and Failed

Major success in GGJ2011 in Japan

University–Industry collaborationgrass–rooted game communitypublic awareness and discussions via USTREAM andTwitter“Featured Game for Global Game Jam” in IGDANewsletter

Missing elements in GGJ2011 in Japan

Participatory Design?working in diverse teamsswitching roles or polyvalencyrapid prototyping with reflections


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Case Study in Japan

Game development in the social context

In Final Fantasy XIII postmortem (2010):

not only game engine, but game developmentmethod in crisis

until they made an playable demo, the developmentteam had lacked a shared vision

the demo was for a game show, not included in theoriginal development plan

The game prototyping process was featured in Japanesemajor game industry — at the almost same period whenGlobal Game Jam started.


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Case Study in Japan

Local design of GGJ in Japan

To emphasizing the missing elements by design:

rapid prototyping: Alpha, beta, completepresentation on–air schedule sharing

participatory design: public review, inviting citizens

encourage opportunity for failure

GGJ site organizers can design game jam with the localachievements or local awards.


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Future of Game Jam approach

Future of Game Jam approach

Inspired by Global Game Jam, other game jams will beheld everywhere.

Global Game Jam globally distributed event for generalpurpose

Mega–region game jam Localized Global Game Jam ornation–wide event with social purpose

Local game jam in–house, stand–alone event for a localpurpose

The success of GGJ leads to many other game jams withnew actors.(In Japan, there are the game jams in every month. )


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Rise of Mega–region Game Jam


Apps for Healthy Kids game jam (2010)

Fukushima Game Jam (2011–)

NASA International Space Apps Challenge (2012–)

Game Accessibility Challenge (2012–)

GGJ mainly held at the universities with broadband

Mega–region game jam can expand thecollaboration not only schools but broader citizens,with a low cost.


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Fukushima Game Jam

East Japan earthquake desease occured March 11,2011.

IGDA Japan started Fukushima Game Jam inAugust 2011.

Fukushima Game Jam 2012 in 1 minutehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5apdF6Ri7RE

Interactive Map in English:http://spectrum.ieee.org/static/

mapping-fukushimas-impact-on-japan

Minamisoma city in Fukushima is located at theedge of low–level radiation zone.


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http://spectrum.ieee.org/static/mapping-fukushimas-impact-on-japan

http://spectrum.ieee.org/static/mapping-fukushimas-impact-on-japan

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Design strategy 1: Process

Alpha, beta, public play test, and final release arescheduled in 30 hours

Tokyo team also experienced the bus trip with a localguide to the edge of the evacuation zone just beforestarting design.


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Design strategy2: Participatory Design

Public play–test and kids workshop

Focusing the users’ needs sometimes changed the gamedesign.


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Design strategy 3: Listening to users

Some observation from Minamisoma bus trip andlive–streaming program during the game jam:

No IT industry: agriculture and services for nuclearpower station

No university

Public awareness concerning


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Design strategy 4: Team

Each team has 5–7 person

Jammers should registration with their profile

Professional/semi-professional lead developer foreach team

Beginner/student for each team

Separate developers from a same organization

Sometimes too many programmers and less manualwriters


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Design strategy 5: satellites

More than 100 developers took part in Fukushima GameJam 2011:

Main site: 44 (25 from Tokyo, 19 from Tohokuregion)

Tokyo: about 40 (2 sites including part-timeattendee)

Fukuoka: about 30

Sapporo: 7

SHIPS (Sympathy, Interest, Participation, Share)expanded overseas in FGJ 2012.


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Design strategy 6: achievements

Announce themes and achievements:

Collaboration with local kids

Include the specialties from Tohoku area

Five minutes limit

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Creative recovery and place–making after 3.11earthquake, tsunami, and atomic meltdown


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After the Jam

FGJ and Lessons from Global Game Jam

According to IGDA Newsletter, the lesson from GGJincludes below:

...1 Rapid prototyping experience

...2 Opportunity for failure

...3 Working in diverse teams

...4 (Professional) Tools assessment and selection

...5 Research and user studies

...6 Promotion

these characteristics were also observed in FGJ (expectfor avoiding failure).


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Summary

Conclusion

Recognizing Global Game Jam from depends on thecultural condition.

For adaptability, Global Game Jam site organizerscan emphasize the design elements of game jam.

Global Game Jam can bring the prototyping cultureor participatory design worldwide. (In Japan, thoseall movements appear in the very short time!)

Inspired by Global Game Jam, the mega–regiongame jams are rising in different scales.

more collaboration among new actors!


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Summary

See you in our next game jam.

...1 Fukushima Game Jam 2014, next August 3rd to 4th.

...2 http://fgj.igda.jp/?cat=3 (tag: English)

...3 local satelite site registration is wellcome.


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