Game Jam as Feminist Methodology: The Affective Labors of Intervention in the Ludic Economy

Abstract

This article examines the evidenced and the potential impact of all-female games jams as an element within a feminist interventionist approach to improving women’s equal participation within the ludic economies of the games industry. The article examines two specific projects—a single-site 24-hr event that took place in 2012 and a restaging of the format 4 years later across five different sites in the United Kingdom. These two case studies offer two critical contributions to the ongoing research regarding the wider challenges of diversifying games design, games development, and games culture more generally. The first is a consideration of the range of labors—free, hopeful, and affective—that underpins these endeavors and provides a significant contribution in general to the ludic economy. The second is valuable evidence of the impact and ongoing validity of these all-female initiatives as an effective and transformative methodology for feminist intervention.

Sustaining intangible heritage through video game storytelling - the case of the Sami Game Jam

“…First, the Sámi organisers invested significant emotional labour into ensuring the event was a success. This is typical for game jams with an interventionist goal, since success or failure comes with political consequences (Kennedy 2018). For Sami Game Jam, the stakes of strengthening the economic, social, and emotional survival of modern-day Sámi members are considerable.…”

Independent Videogames

“…She is also the person people report any misconduct to. This role involves a large degree of face-to-face affective labor (Kennedy, 2018). More free labor and technical knowledge are embodied in the free and open source software used to advertize the event, run the sign-up process, and post the games after the event.…”

Introduction to the Minitrack on Performing Game Development Live on Twitch

“…Others have begun investigating support industries that help indie developers achieve success [5]. Examination of short-term events related to game creation includes scholars examining game jams and their potential as a transformative (feminist) method [6] and how they may serve as a novel platform for doing design related research [7]. Yet such findings are limited in their applicability, given their temporal boundedness and the diverse nature of participants, who are often not working professionals.…”