UPDATE: visit the game jam post HERE!

Can you create a small game on an activist theme?

During May and June I’m holding a game jam. It’s simply a chance for people to come together and create games together. In this case, there are two requirements for the games created — firstly they need to be on an activist theme, and secondly they need to be small enough to be sent through the post as a letter.

There are four ways to be involved:

• As an activist, suggesting a theme
• As a designer, making a game
• As an organiser, helping to give feedback to designers
• As a promoter, playing some of the games on your stream/podcast/discord

Between now and 21 May. The activists submit a short description of an issue. What is the topic they think a game could cover? Perhaps it’s plastic in the ocean? Perhaps it’s the number of countries with nuclear weapons? The description of the theme will be between 100 and 300 words, and may come with additional links to articles, or a 3 minute video. They’ll be posted on this website and in the discord here: https://discord.gg/2mge37eUjF

21 May to 21 June. The designers then make some games inspired by these themes! The game should be small enough that it could be printed at home or sent as a letter – so an 18 card game, or a roll and write, or a postcard. It’s fine to ask players to find some small components at home or to use a dice app on a phone.

21 May to 30 June. We can all talk about the jam and spread the word! Perhaps there are people who could discuss it on a stream or in a podcast? If that’s you, then maybe you could play a few of the games being made? Maybe you could have some of the activists on your stream? Perhaps everyone making a game can share their own progress on social media?

21 June to 31 July. The organisers look at the games and give some feedback to designers. While this is an informal jam, we wanted to make it a bit like a contest by giving feedback. There aren’t any prizes (sorry) but hopefully the prospect of some feedback will be useful enough!

August onwards. It’s up to you! Perhaps you’d like to make your game? Just to say that of course all games remain the property of those who have made them. Maybe if you have shared your thoughts and progress, another designer might be interested in helping develop the game? Of perhaps one of the activist organisations might consider asking for it to be on one of their postcards? Who knows where this might lead…

Are you interested? You can submit a theme using this form. If you’re able to help out in some way, please fill out this form.

There’s more information in a google doc here. Or join our discord here: https://discord.gg/2mge37eUjF.

UPDATE: visit the game jam post HERE!

(Small changes were made to the wording on 9 May for clarity, and then on 21 May to add a link to the new game jam post.)