“Know Thyself” Game Jam (06-29 March 2019)

The “Know Thyself” Game Jam (KTGJ) was a month-long game jam that invited first-, second-, third-year, and Masters students from Abertay University’s School of Design and Informatics. Forty-nine students registered to participate, culminating in a total of sixteen teams with up to five members. The nature of the KTGJ was to be managed as an “online” game jam, where students participated in their own time and space. The requirements to participate involved the attendance to a launch session and a play party to close the event.

The theme, set by an external client, asked participants to consider how a player’s in-game actions and behaviours could reflect personal characteristics which could identify certain skills and characteristics. The intention was to develop proof-of-concept prototypes which could be used as a way of establishing a dialogue about personal strengths when considering career opportunities. Representatives from the client judged the game jam submissions, provided feedback to the student teams, and selected three games to receive prizes.

Snacks (Thomas Wood, Thomas Redwood, Fraser Barker, Vaughn McDougall and Alex Skirving)

“The game is about estimating your own skill, while the game requires you to adapt to changing controls as you complete it’s changing levels. The game has been designed with consideration of various characteristics, such as adaptability, self-belief, self-awareness, risk-taking, and general curiosity.”

Cliff (Shichen Xie, Dong Han and Yi Zhao)

“The player controls a little girl and uses her hook claw to climb the cliff. At the same time, the avalanche will chase player from the bottom of screen during the whole process, so the player must keep moving all the time. On the road to the top of the mountain, the player will see some people in danger. Want to be a hero, or cold blooded? It all depends on player’s choice.”

Post Encounters (Gavin George, Gemma Ereza Ferrie, Lewis Wilson and Georgia Firth)

“You are a high ranked military scientist tasked with monitoring a fledgling alien that landed on Earth and was captured by the government and put in Area 51. You must multitask, keeping the world in order and caring for the alien, who's emotional state could mean the difference between his species arriving and invading Earth to rescue him, or arriving peacefully.”