Lessons Learned from Serious Game Jams

This paper, published by DiGRA Japan in the Proceedings of DiGRA 2020, reflects on eight Serious Game Jams (SGJs) organized since 2014, which together drew 231 attendees. Its central argument is that the conventional operational manual for Global Game Jams, which assumes entertainment-focused development, is poorly suited to serious games. Serious game work requires participants to research the subject matter thoroughly, so the authors adapted their management approach over successive events, drawing on their serious game development process and serious game-based learning materials.

The key adaptations include specialist lectures delivered before development begins and a pre-development planning stage called "PERA-CON," in which teams are selected from submitted game planning documents. At SGJ2, 42 proposals were submitted and six were chosen, though this process took approximately 1.5 months. Later events introduced structured task management, risk management, and a series of submission deadlines called "Missions," which the authors found effective in guiding participants who often lack game development or domain expertise. The events spanned topics including English learning, cybersecurity, sustainability, accessibility, and parent-child communication.

The most recent case examined is the 8th SGJ, held in December 2019 with an accessibility theme. It was split into a study session and a development session, giving participants six days between the two to research. Two professionals contributed lectures on game accessibility and rehabilitation technology. Of the 25 participants forming five teams, four released playable games on itch.io. The authors conclude that the updated process performed as expected, while noting that timing issues, such as when tasks are presented relative to group production, still require refinement.