Game Jam as Feminist Methodology: The Affective Labors of Intervention in the Ludic Economy. Issue 7 (November 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kennedy, Helen W.
• Other Names: Harvey Alison guest-editor.; Giddings Seth guest-editor.
• Is Part Of: Games and culture. Volume 13:Issue 7(2018)
• Page Start: 708
• Page End: 727
• Publication Date: 2018-11
• Subjects: game jam -- games industry -- feminism -- affective labor -- methodology; Games -- Social aspects -- Periodicals; Video games -- Social aspects -- Periodicals; Computer games -- Social aspects -- Periodicals; Interactive multimedia -- Social aspects -- Periodicals; 303.4834
• DOI: 10.1177/1555412018764992
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1555-4120

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.