game jam

[geym jam]

noun

Digital Technology.

1. an event in which video game developers work in groups to conceptualize, design, and build a functioning version of one or more game projects over a restricted period of a few hours or days.

   The game jam brought students and industry veterans together to create hundreds of new games in one weekend.

Word History and Origins

Origin of game jam¹

First recorded in 2000–05; game ¹ ( def. ) + jam (session) ( def. )

Example Sentences

To qualify, he and a friend participated in a so-called Game Jam, where they had to design a game in three days around a theme; in this case, what they considered delightful.

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I’ve even seen an experimental project developed at a game jam that connects to an EEG device, and a game could certainly tap into a commercial biometric reader like a Fitbit.

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As I write this, one Itch.io user has announced a game jam called the “Unspeakable Jam” that will run until June 12th; all entries must follow Apple executive Trystan Kosmynka’s instruction that “games have a beginning and end; there’s challenges in place.”

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Celeste was one of the most acclaimed games of 2018, but what you may not have known is that the tightly designed platformer was an expanded version of a smaller project developed in four days at a game jam.

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There are also asset add-ons like Space Cadet and Danger Zone, which you can unlock by doing things like sharing your game, updating your game, or attending a game jam.

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