Students across all three years of LCC’s BA (Hons) Games Design course recently worked together alongside industry mentors on a Two-Day Student and Mentor Game Jam.
Each Game Jam team was made up of students from different years who created games based around a specific theme.
At the end of the second day, an open exhibition was held in LCC’s Typo Cafe in which visitors could meet the students and try out the games produced.
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We found out what students and mentors had to say about this cross-year collaboration.
“As an opportunity to work alongside peers from the Games Design course and with industry mentors, I as a third-year found it to be a very enjoyable experience.
“As well as getting to know the first- and second-year students a little better, we were able to make games that were unique and extremely entertaining. They ranged from card games to physical activities and digital games, all in all proving the variety of skill this course encapsulates.
“The most exciting part of the day was learning from industry mentors and being able to put into action their words. It improved many features of my game as well as many others. Working with a second-year as my partner was also great fun, merging our ideas together to define what game design could offer.
“If I were to be called upon to join in with an experience like this, I would definitely take part. It was a great way to communicate with fellow peers and people who are already a part of the gaming world, who can preach to us students what qualities are needed in this industry.”
Bizza-Tul-Anne Tirmizi (Third-year student)
“As a third-year at LCC on BA (Hons) Games Design, I have witnessed fun work and interesting talks. This year the opportunity showed itself for me to be part of a Game Jam, and it was brilliant.
“The ordinary day of a Games Design student is packed with coding, animating and 3D modeling, therefore the event was a very welcome change of scenery. Not only was I able to let my mind free for two days, but also combine my ideas with my fellow students from the first and second year, and even better with professionals from the industry.
“It was a very interesting experience to see the different approaches each tutor offered and to take part in the discussions which sparked all over the place about game design and the applicability of our game concepts.
“After two days of work a small show was organised for us and offered us the opportunity to show our creations to everybody who wanted to see them. By and large it was a very interesting and informative event that offered me the contact to fellow students, and even more importantly contact to the industry.”
Dominik Mueller (Third-year student)
“There’s a lot to be learnt from a Game Jam – quick testing of ideas, scrapping what doesn’t work and going down the route of what does. The LCC Game Jam allowed for a way of working slightly different to the approach to a college assignment – it’s like a quick, hard workout.
“The experience of working with and receiving advice and feedback from visiting mentors – most of whose work I already knew and respected – was extremely positive. The mentors were helpful and generous with their time and knowledge.”
Andrew Dennison (Second-year student)
“It was a genuine delight to hang out with a bunch of game design students full of enthusiasm for making a complete game in such a short amount of time, confident to iterate their designs over and over again. At the end of the two-day jam, there were a number of prototypes which felt viable as releasable games – which is a fantastic achievement!”
Ricky Hagget, mentor (HoneySlug Games)
“It was a real privilege to be a part of the game jam as a mentor. Game jams provide a space for a concentrated form of the game design process, and are a great place to learn to work with others, and to allow others to work with you.
“Helping to steer students towards thoughts, questions, and new working practices within a space of rapid iteration and experimentation was incredibly energising. The events when taken at their best are always about the process as much as the product, and I was really pleased to see the breadth of engagement with the experience, and felt privileged to be able to be a part of that.”
Hannah Nicklin, mentor (Games designer and theatre maker)
“Seeing the students develop ideas they had over the two days in ways that surprised me was such a fun experience. By the end of the Game Jam, the games they had made were very different from what I had pictured them making at the start.
“I like to think the students learned about the flexibility of their own ideas. They adapted to feedback and responses so quickly that all of the games went through several iterations before arriving at a stage they were confident in. The confidence to change your ideas and develop them in this manner is a valuable skill.”
Jay Baylis (Chucklefish Games)