Our story begins with a unique request from a mother named Nina, which transformed a typical year-end Jam Week for students in the Game - Development program into a heartwarming holiday surprise for her young son, Jakob.
It all started when Jakob's mother, Nina, reached out to Brian Sinasac, the Program Coordinator, looking for students who could create a video game based on two imaginary monkey characters Jakob had been drawing and writing about—an item on his holiday wish list. After discussing the idea with his students, they agreed to switch gears and make Jakob's characters the theme for Jam Week. Brian explains, "The only difference in the setup of this particular jam was that Jakob came on the first day to describe the world he had created insert period."
Jam Week replaces the last week of the program, and it’s a time when students divide into teams to create games revolving around a specific theme. However, the theme remains a mystery until the first day of Jam Week; the only insight given beforehand is when students narrow down their votes to the final three themes.
“I book rooms for the entirety of Jam Week to ensure that my students have a place to work in person on campus,” Brian shares. “On the Monday of the Jam at 10 a.m. I announce the winning theme in person. The students then have until Friday at noon to complete a game based on the theme.” Jam Week accounts for 5% of students’ grades but is based on participation instead of the success of the games the students create. “This encourages students to innovate,” he adds.
Although Jam Week's structure changed slightly this year, the innovation in the work students created remained strong. “My students always do a great job. I'm always pleasantly surprised at the quality of the games they produce and how well they work together in brand new teams that take them out of the comfort of their cohort,” Brian explains.
The Game Creation Experience
"Everyone in the class immediately said yes," shares Caleb Draper, one of the students who worked on the game for Jakob. "It was wonderful to see everyone come together to make a kid's Christmas." Caleb also notes how he enjoyed the chance to make a game with a specific player in mind and adds, “It's a really good lesson in design, and I think it helped to create cohesive final games.”
Similarly, Santiago López, a student who also participated in Jam Week and who was responsible for programming and designing the mechanics for my group's game, had an incredibly positive experience creating the game and says that it was a great way to practice working with a team and on a tight deadline. He adds, “I mostly enjoyed the meaning behind what we were doing. It is honestly so nice to make something like this for someone who will really appreciate it. I felt our game was really fun and enjoyable in the end; all the effort was worth it.”
Once the games were created, Jakob and his family were invited to the campus to experience what the students crafted. Their joy and amazement at seeing Jakob’s cherished imaginary characters brought to life was palpable, leaving a lasting impact on everyone involved.
Article by: Alexandra Few
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