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Jammin’ for Change – Challenging Gender Stereotypes in Gaming – Vancouver July 12-14

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Jammin’ for Change: July 12-14 Game Jam to Challenge Gender Stereotypes in Gaming

Game jams are a fantastic positive environment for encouraging innovation in a challenging time frame, and the latest game jam to come out of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, adds to the form by focusing on creating games with female protagonists. Over the weekend of July 12-14, more than 150 game designers, digital media artists, programmers, musicians, and other entertainment specialists, students and enthusiasts will work on projects in real time.

Organized by iamagamer, this new organization arranges game jams and events around social causes. Jammin’ for Change is iamagamer’s inaugural game jam and a welcome addition to the international game jam phenomenon by creating games that will challenge gender stereotypes in gaming.

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For the uninitiated, a game jam is a collaborative development marathon that allows game creation to happen over a short period of time, from scratch, into a playable, complete product. Some of these go on to become submission pieces to indie showcases and festivals, if teams decide to add additional polish to their project or prototype. Participants can participate locally at Vancouver’s Centre for Digital Media, or remotely from several satellite sites around the world.

The goal of the jam is to create a fun and collaborative energy for developers and designers in the video game and media industry, as well as create a momentum for video games that challenge negative stereotypes of what is permissible and acceptable for female content in conventional game titles today. In a medium which is traditionally associated with male-oriented content creators and audiences, the aim is to create positive examples of women as central to game development as well as games’ narrative form, so to instill that broader possibilities are possible for women in games.

Event Details

The event is sponsored by Silicon Sisters, a Vancouver-based developer that makes games for women and girls. Other sponsors include Sifteo, Microsoft, Radial Games, Corona Labs, Brace Yourself Games, Indie House Vancouver, East Side Games and the Center for Digital Media.

For more information about the upcoming game jam visit the iamagamer website

For more information about the motivations underlying the jam from the founder and organizer, please visit the ZanyTomato Tumblr

Visuals: More than 150 game designers, digital media artists, gamers and visionaries in one room, working on projects in real time (48 hours isn’t very long to develop and complete a project!) passionate about equality in gaming. There will be lots of coffee, food and creative antics from the tired, but enthusiastic, participants. (There may even be participants snoozing.)

When: Starting July 12 at 6 p.m. through July 14 at 6 p.m.

Where: Centre for Digital Media: 685 Great Northern Way