Aspiring and professional video game developers alike will have an opportunity to show off their skills this January, when the University participates in the weekend-long Global Game Jam for the first time.
According to the Center for Computation and Technology, this is the world’s largest game jam event, and is described as a “hackathon focused on game development.”
The official Global Game Jam website said participants rapidly create preliminary game designs using their own innovations.
Participants will work in groups formed during the first evening and may not plan their team beforehand. The event’s objective is to get people excited about developing video games, in what has become a global, high-demand industry.
The Global Game Jam organizers hope that many of the individuals who meet will continue to work on their ideas after the event. According to its website, many teams continue their work following the event to make fully realized games.
In January 2013, there were 300 host locations in more than 60 countries, and more than 3,000 games were produced, according to the CCT website.
The Global Game Jam and CCT encourage people with varying backgrounds to participate and contribute to the growing global community.
The game jam will start at the Louisiana Digital Media Center in the late afternoon, on Jan. 24, 2014, with a keynote speaker and presentations from leading game developers. Following these events, the theme for the event will be revealed.
Each location worldwide will create games based on this theme, according to the CCT website.
Anyone 18 or older may register for the game jam. There is a $50 registration fee, and space is limited to the first 100 individuals who register. Registration opens in mid-November and will closes Jan. 15.
The University is looking for volunteers to help run the event. If interested, individuals may contact Lea Anne Landry at [email protected].