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For the students at the Games Institute (GI), cancelling 蓝莓视频鈥檚 termly GI Game Jam was never an option.
鈥淥ur event attracts nearly 300 people across the world annually. We haven鈥檛 missed a term since 2014, and we weren鈥檛 going to allow COVID-19 to get in the way of that, even if it means coming together virtually,鈥 Cayley MacArthur says, a Systems Design Engineering PhD student and long-time organizer of GI Game Jam. 鈥淥ur attendees need a social outlet now more than ever, and we weren鈥檛 going to let them down.鈥
The perseverance in honour of GI Game Jam鈥檚 community inspired this year鈥檚 theme of 鈥淐onnection,鈥 a concept that鈥檚 tied into each participant鈥檚 project.
Spanning four days, 95 registered participants ranging from ages 10 to 50 from around the world created 25 new games. The event is an opportunity for anyone at any game development level to flex their creative muscle in a community of playful and professional gaming enthusiasts. It also helps students find jobs in game development and provides a platform for researchers working with games.
"For the club, it鈥檚 important to have events to keep people engaged during this time. And for me, the GI Game Jam is my chance to work on a for-fun side project with other people,鈥 Andrew Beach says, game development club executive member. 鈥淚鈥檓 happy to continue with virtual jams until physical jams are an option. Though I must say, I am looking forward to the day we can be in person again."

Volunteer organizers built an online infrastructure through聽聽with public and private channels so participants can form teams and interact using the built-in audio, video and streaming functions. The virtual atmosphere removed barriers between jammers, too, as teams were able to provide support for one another online and offer live stream tutorials.
鈥淭his jam brought together people who would've never been able to attend a jam before, whether due to money, distance, or time,鈥 MacArthur says. 鈥淣ow, a ninth-grader can join from the safety and comfort of their own home. A father/daughter team can participate from theirs, on a schedule that suits them.鈥
鈥淥ne of our biggest challenges was figuring out how to sustain interest and engagement for four consecutive days, all while dealing with inevitable technical difficulties,鈥 Marvin Pafla says, lead organizer of the Spring 2020 Game Jam and Systems Design Engineering Master鈥檚 student. 鈥淚鈥檓 really grateful and proud of our team of volunteers. This wouldn鈥檛 have been possible without them鈥.
While the format of future GI Game Jam gatherings remains unclear, the current environment has encouraged organizers to practice what they preach by offering new, innovative ways to stay connected. It鈥檚 even allowed for the expansion of their mentorship system. Each team was paired with a dedicated volunteer who worked with them one-on-one throughout the entire weekend, encouraging ongoing engagement and inclusion.
鈥淲e wanted to inspire people to be creative and optimistic about what it means to connect,鈥 Joseph Tu says, a master鈥檚 student from Systems Design Engineering. 鈥淪ure, we鈥檙e all separated by physical distance, but, in a way, this Jam connected people more than ever as we saw an unprecedented diversity in age and education among participants, with some joining us from as far away as South Korea and Bulgaria. We count this as a success and look forward to making this event available to even more students in the future.鈥
