The Inclusivity Game Jam: Exploring Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) through Two Creative Forms

Pierce, KG; Zaeemdar, S

doi:10.1145/3697789.3697799

The Inclusivity Game Jam: Exploring Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) through Two Creative Forms

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Ken Pierce, Dr Sara Zaeemdar ORCiD

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).

Abstract

We report on the first Inclusivity Game Jam held at Newcastle University, UK in November 2023. This event combined two creative forms — game jams and interactive theatre — to help students engage with themes related to equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). We welcomed 26 participants from across the University and all undergraduate and postgraduate stages, with a range of programming and non-programming backgrounds. We used the Theatre of the Oppressed, inspired by the work of Augusto Boal and Barbara Santos, to stimulate creative thinking about EDI related problems and solutions, and to generate themes for the games to explore. From these activities, six key themes were identified, and six multidisciplinary teams formed, selecting one theme each. Teams then developed games over 48-hours and presented their work at a showcase at the end. We discuss the design and results and reflect on pitfalls and lessons learned for the next event.