Location
Hilton Waikoloa Village, Hawaii
Event Website
https://hicss.hawaii.edu/
Start Date
7-1-2025 12:00 AM
End Date
10-1-2025 12:00 AM
Description
This case study investigates the value of game jams in enhancing the understanding of social impact topics, in addition to their well-documented benefits for learning technology and design. Unlike traditional game jams focused on developing game design skills, this study explores how participants' perceptions of both the game-making process and the selected social impact topics evolved. Given that game jams often center around specific themes, the insights from this research can guide the organization of future game jams, emphasizing their role in fostering deeper reflection on various social issues. The study aims to position game jams as a reflective educational tool, comparable to writing papers, creating videos, or other common educational activities. The findings from a 48-hour game jam involving 76 participants, primarily female-identifying with an average age of 21, indicate that the event significantly enhanced their perceived understanding of game design and deepened their knowledge of social impact topics. These results support the idea that game jams can broaden participants' knowledge beyond just game design and implementation.
Recommended Citation
Grace, Lindsay and Sekhon, Vijayendra, "The Transformative Experience of Game Jams: How Game Making Improved Perceived Social Issue Understanding" (2025). Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences 2025 (HICSS-58). 2.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/hicss-58/st/game/2
The Transformative Experience of Game Jams: How Game Making Improved Perceived Social Issue Understanding
Hilton Waikoloa Village, Hawaii
This case study investigates the value of game jams in enhancing the understanding of social impact topics, in addition to their well-documented benefits for learning technology and design. Unlike traditional game jams focused on developing game design skills, this study explores how participants' perceptions of both the game-making process and the selected social impact topics evolved. Given that game jams often center around specific themes, the insights from this research can guide the organization of future game jams, emphasizing their role in fostering deeper reflection on various social issues. The study aims to position game jams as a reflective educational tool, comparable to writing papers, creating videos, or other common educational activities. The findings from a 48-hour game jam involving 76 participants, primarily female-identifying with an average age of 21, indicate that the event significantly enhanced their perceived understanding of game design and deepened their knowledge of social impact topics. These results support the idea that game jams can broaden participants' knowledge beyond just game design and implementation.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/hicss-58/st/game/2