Check out some photos of a recent Game Jam in Berlin, that I had the pleasure to facilitate. The jammers were teens and pre-teens, in a greek-german school and were just awesome. Even though the theme was labour and the game could only be tabletop, they came up with interesting hybrid (some augmented reality/location based) ideas and they actually put their thoughts and personal experience in them. 

Worked mainly around the idea of futuristic labour situations, when robots had to face the same difficult working conditions and situations of authority and freedom seemed to prevail.

Did I mention that working with teens can be exhausting but it is extremely inspiring? One piece of advice I have to offer is: DO PLAYTEST… a lot! It is probably the time that they claim ownership and the actual game design begins. Almost the same, works with some post-teenagers_never_old_though jammers in their first game jams or collective design experiences, right?

Also Berlin and I, have a secret love affair (I am sorry Athens) and being there during the Transmediale2008 & CTM Festival, made me feel blessed (and ignore being sick… AGAIN). Now I have to be sick again, so enjoy the photos.

Just returned from the first LABOURGAMES Game Jam in Hamburg. It was part of the PLAY17 – Creative Gaming Festival 2017.  I love game jams, I love organising and participating, but most of all I think I enjoy observing jamers being lost in their craft. Creating, working and forming bonds and skills over a few days. It is always a surprise to me especially when the facilitation is so smooth and humane (kudos to the as_always_magnificent Sebastian Quack)

This game jam was based around young teenagers who worked with different labour concepts and designed digital, mobile, physical and tabletop games.  Some of the games were political, expressing young designers’ thoughts regarding the dystopic future of labour and other games were more educational. I was impressed and delighted with their storytelling abilities and their co-creative ethos. So I returned with +1 hope for humanity.

You can also find some of my thoughts on this interview by the wonderful Corline van Es, our partner from Open State Foundation. Corline not only documented the Game Jam but she is also a wonderful artist, so do check out her lovely bird themed card game. And she also sketched as all, because as I said, she is wonderful.