Positive Impacts of Game Jams: Finding Hope By Making Games
Positive Impacts of Game Jams: Finding Hope By Making Games
Positive Impacts of Game Jams: Finding Hope By Making Games
Venni Kauppila
January, 5, 2025
Summary
Game jams, typically short events where participants create games, are popular both for professional developers and hobbyists. These events foster creativity, skill-building, networking, and teamwork. Recently, a shift toward purposeful game jams has emerged, focusing on topics like education, industry commentary, or sustainability. A 2024 study explored two educational game jams, NordEcoJam and NASG Un-Jam, which aimed to teach sustainability. Participants, who initially felt anxiety due to the heavy topics, reported improved moods as the event progressed. Game creation helped mitigate negative emotions, with participants finding it a therapeutic way to cope while addressing serious global issues.
Reference
Kauppila, V. (2025, January 5). Positive impacts of game jams: Finding hope by making games. Tampere University Playlab. https://www.tuni.fi/playlab/positive-impacts-of-game-jams-finding-hope-by-making-games/